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Who, which, or that
Who refers to people, which refers to things and animals, and that works for both, but not after a comma.
Quick rule
A person? Who, or that with no comma. A thing or an animal? Which, or that with no comma. After a comma? Who or which, not that.
Relative pronoun for people, and sometimes pets: the woman who called.
Relative pronoun for things and animals: the bike which I sold. It is the one to use after a comma when you mean a thing.
Works for people, things, and animals when the clause tells you which one, with no commas: the man that called, the car that broke down.
How to choose
| Question | who | which | that |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can it refer to a person? | Yes | No | Yes |
| Can it refer to a thing or an animal? | SometimesSometimes | Yes | Yes |
| Can it come after a comma? | Yes | Yes | No |
Why it trips people up
Who, which, and that all start relative clauses, but they split the work: who for people, which for things, and that for either when the clause identifies which one. The comma is the real test: after a comma, that drops out.
How each one works
Who
A person: says who you mean
The woman who lives next door is a nurse.
A person, with commas: extra detail
My brother, who lives in Quito, is visiting.
After someone or anyone
I need someone who speaks French.
Which
A thing, with commas: extra detail
Our car, which is ten years old, still runs well.
The whole idea before it
He passed the test, which surprised everyone.
An animal: says which one
The dog which bit me belongs to my neighbor.
That
A thing: says which one
The car that I bought is red.
A person, in casual speech
Is she the teacher that helped you?
After everything
Everything that she said was true.
What comes next
person plus who plus verb
I have a friend who plays the drums.
comma plus which plus extra detail
The museum, which opened in 1990, is free on Sundays.
person or thing plus that plus clause, no commas
This is the song that I told you about.
Almost the same
My brother who lives in Chile is a chef.
No commas: you have more than one brother, and this says which.
My brother that lives in Chile is a chef.
Same as the first, more casual: that goes without commas.
My brother, who lives in Chile, is a chef.
Commas: you have one brother, and Chile is just extra.
In a conversation
- A:
Who's the woman that's talking to your dad?
- B:
Marta, our neighbor. She's the one who found our cat.
- A:
The cat that ran away last month?
- B:
Yes! She brought him back, which was really kind.
Common mistakes
Wrong: The girl who she sits next to me is new.
Right: The girl who sits next to me is new.
When who is the subject, do not add she: the relative pronoun already does that job.
Wrong: There are some great books who can help you.
Right: There are some great books which can help you.
Books are things, so the pronoun is which or that. Who is for people.
Memory trick
That is the wild card with no commas: it fits people and things, but a comma keeps it out. With a comma, ask who (who) or what (which).
It depends
- Leaving it out
- When the relative pronoun is the object, speakers often drop it: the movie we watched means the movie that we watched.
- Who for pets
- For an animal that feels like family, many people use who: our dog, who is twelve. Cambridge allows it for pets.
FAQ
Can you use that for people?
Yes, in clauses without commas: the guy that helped me. It sounds a bit more casual than who, which many writers prefer for people.
Which or that: which one?
Without commas, both work for things: the car that I bought, the car which I bought. After a comma, it has to be which: My car, which is old, still runs. The finer points have their own page.