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"Which" and "That" (relitive clause)

blue_bear

blue_bear

Taiwan

The biology book which he told you about is in the library. 

 is the sentence above correct?

 Sometimes I also see sentences have "," before "which."  When should I put a "," before "which"?

Thanks !!Smile

12:43 AM Nov 21 2008 |

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Teacher AmySuper Member!

United States

Hi there!

 

That sentence should read, "The biology book THAT he told you about is in the library." We use "that" to connect essential clauses, or clauses that affect the meaning of the sentence. Without the clause "he told you about," you wouldn't know what book was being talked about, so it's essential.

"Which" is used to connect non-essential clauses, or clauses that could be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. For example, in the sentence, "Seattle, which is where I'm from, is a very rainy city," you don't need to know that I'm from Seattle in order to get the main point of the sentence.

Finally, always place a comma before clauses connected with "which." Smile

 

 

09:59 PM Nov 21 2008 |

blue_bear

blue_bear

Taiwan

thank you!

08:18 PM Nov 26 2008 |