Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2017 May 24

= May 24 =

Which Versus That
I see all these rules about when to use "which" and when to use "that", but doesn't FDR's "A Date Which Will Live in Infamy" violate these so called rules? Who's right here, the English teachers or FDR? Scala Cats (talk) 03:24, 24 May 2017 (UTC)
 * You (and FDR) are quite right: there is indeed a fairly rigid rule that you can't use that in a non-restrictive relative clause, but the inverse rule promoted by some American grammar teachers, that you shouldn't use which in a restrictive relative, is a bogus rule invented by prescriptivists, and has never been observed in the living language. The LanguageLog blog used to have some rather entertaining polemic articles about this issue; I might find some links for you later. Fut.Perf. ☼ 05:04, 24 May 2017 (UTC)
 * Here's some:, (with further links). Fut.Perf. ☼ 06:27, 24 May 2017 (UTC)
 * And here's a previous ref-desk thread that may be of interest. Deor (talk) 14:10, 24 May 2017 (UTC)
 * See English relative clauses. Loraof (talk) 15:18, 24 May 2017 (UTC)


 * I obviously have a few non-human antecedents. Just saying.  :)  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  05:50, 25 May 2017 (UTC)


 * You have a non-human aunt to cede us ? StuRat (talk) 14:35, 25 May 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes, I've been a monkey's uncle for quite some time, after my dotty fairy godmother appeared unexpectedly one day and granted my rhetorical wish in a fit of inattention. I also became a monkey's nephew.  It's quite nice, apart from being told by Uncle Bob and Aunt Mary, whenever I see them, how big and tall I've grown and, confusingly, being asked what I want to be when I grow up.  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  20:17, 25 May 2017 (UTC)
 * The right answer, apparently, would be "Seven feet!" (Or the metric equivalent) ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:44, 26 May 2017 (UTC)
 * My chosen response to that question was "a murderess", although that has not come to be. μηδείς (talk) 22:16, 26 May 2017 (UTC)
 * I didn't do it/But if I'd done it/How could you tell me that I was wrong? --Trovatore (talk) 00:59, 27 May 2017 (UTC)