What is the usage of "that" and "which"?

The key to understanding proper usage of these words is learning the difference between restrictive and nonrestrictive relative clauses. Look at this sentence: She held out the hand that was hurt. In this sentence, that is introducing a restrictive relative clause. This is a clause containing essential information about the noun that comes before it. If you leave out this type of clause, the meaning of the sentence is affected—indeed, it will result in either a sentence of doubtful meaning or a sentence that makes no sense at all: She held out the hand. (incorrect) Restrictive relative clauses are typically introduced by that, as well as by whose, who, or whom. Note that in British English, the word which is often used interchangeably with the restrictive that: - She held out the hand which was hurt. The other type of relative clause is a non restrictive relative clause. This kind of clause contains extra information that could be left out of the sentence without affecting the meaning or structure. Nonrestrictive relative clauses can be introduced by which, whose, who, or whom, but you should never use that to introduce them. For example: - A list of contents would have made it easier to steer through the book, which also lacks a map. - She held out her hand, which Rob shook. If you leave out this type of clause, the result is a sentence that may have less information but still makes sense: - A list of contents would have made it easier to steer through the book. - She held out her hand. Note that a nonrestrictive clause is preceded by a comma (setting off the extra information), whereas no comma should precede a restrictive clause (indicating that the information is essential, not extra): - They got into the van, which had Ohio plates. [nonrestrictive] - I was driving the van that had Ohio plates. [restrictive]

hi abhishek Which vs. That: How to Choose SHUNDALYN ALLEN · Spelling In a defining clause, use that. In non-defining clauses, use which. Remember, which is as disposable as a sandwich bag. If you can remove the clause without destroying the meaning of the sentence, the clause is nonessential and you can use which. People use which and that every day. Just because these words are common doesn’t mean they’re easy to use. In particular, clauses cause a lot of confusion, but there’s an easy way to remember which one to choose. Which vs. That: How to Choose image Which vs. That: What’s the Difference in Usage? To understand when to use that or which, it’s important to understand clauses. A defining clause (also called an essential clause or a restrictive clause) gives information essential to the meaning of the sentence. That is used in defining clauses. Here’s an example: My bike thathas a broken seat is in the garage. In this sentence, you understand that the speaker has at least one other bike. Specifically, the bike he’s talking about is distinguished from his other bikes by its broken seat. If you removed the clause “that has a broken seat,” you would lose the implication that he owns more than one bicycle, and even if you somehow knew about the other bikes, you wouldn’t know which one was in the garage. Which introduces non-defining clauses. Unlike defining clauses, non-defining clauses (also called nonessential or nonrestrictive clauses) don’t limit the meaning of the sentence. You might lose interesting details if you remove them, but the meaning of the sentence wouldn’t change. Sometimes, these phrases are set off by commas. My bike, whichhas a broken seat, is in the garage.

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