Most of my editing clients get this one wrong, so don’t feel too bad if this is news to you, too. How do you know when to use the pronoun “which” and when to use “that?” Its fairly simple. If you can drop the dependent clause in a sentence without losing the point, you should choose “which” and enclose it in commas. Amy’s dog, which is thirteen years old, is having trouble catching squirrels. (If you take out “which is thirteen years old,” the sentence still works.) However, if the clause is a critical piece of the sentence, use “that.” The dog that is having trouble catching squirrels is Amy’s […]
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Grammar Gem of the Day
SEEN VS. SAW – The misuse of the word “seen” is one of my biggest grammatical pet peeves. For example, “I seen Ironman 3 last night.” ACK! The correct word is “saw.” Seen is used if it is preceded by a form of “has” (“I have seen that movie three times” – or – “She has seen the second part of the series”).
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