Usage Note
Most people treat the relative pronounsthatandwhichas being identical.
In fact, many teachers are known to tell students who ask about these words
that they are interchangeable and that they should be used alternatively to
add more variety to writing. Formal standard usage, however, differentiates
them along a very clear line:Thatis used exclusively to introduce restrictive
relative clauses, andwhichis used, generally, to introduce nonrestrictive
relative clauses. The word “generally” is important because there are sev-
eral types of relative clauses, and some involve the relative pronounwhich
even though they are restrictive, as in: “The depositionin whichthe answer
appeared had been sealed by the court.” This construction is examined in
more detail in the next section.
Relative Clauses and Prepositional Phrases
Another interesting feature of relative clauses is that they often involve a prepo-
sitional phrase. When they do, the noun phrase in the prepositional phrase is a
relative pronoun. Consider the following sentences:
- The trianglein which they were embroileddefied logic.
- We knew several peoplefor whom banishment was too kind.
It may be easier to understand these constructions if we look at the depend-
ent clauses before they are relativized:
68a. The triangle defied logic. They were embroiled in the triangle.
69a. We knew several people. Banishment was too kind for several people.Earlier, we examined (and discarded) the common school injunction against
ending sentences with prepositions. We are now in a better position to consider
what is involved when at least one kind of sentence ends with a preposition.
Consider sentences 70 and 70a:
- Macarena hated the clotheswhich Fred arrived in.
70a. Macarena hated the clothes. Fred arrived in the clothes.
150 CHAPTER 4