G3-a Select who for references to people, which for nonrestrictive references to things, and that for restrictive references to groups and things.
G3-a Select who for references to people, which for nonrestrictive references to things, and that for restrictive references to groups and things.
restrictive clause A clause, not set off by commas, that provides information essential to defining or identifying the noun or pronoun it modifies.
nonrestrictive clause A clause, set off by commas, that provides extra or nonessential information and could be eliminated without changing the meaning of the noun or pronoun it modifies.
Change that to who to refer to a person.
Note: Rewriting a sentence to simplify its structure sometimes eliminates a problem with pronouns.
(See also G3-b for information on who and whom.)
Change that to which when a nonrestrictive clause supplies extra, nondefining information.
Introduce nonrestrictive clause with which, not that.
See P1-c on using commas with nonrestrictive word groups.
Change which to that when a restrictive clause supplies essential information defining a thing or a group.
Introduce a restrictive clause with that, not which.
See P2-b on unnecessary commas with restrictive word groups.