Which vs Who in English Grammar
Which and who are two words in the English language that might appear to be similar when it comes to their meaning, but strictly speaking there is a very important difference between their usage. Who is normally used to refer to human beings, either male or female. On the other hand, the word which is used to refer to other living beings such as animals, insects, plants, and objects in general. In other words, the word which is used to refer to things and the word who is used to refer to people. One special feature these two words which and who share is that they are both relative pronouns.
What does Which mean?
The relative pronoun which is used in sentences to link some information the sentence presents to a word in that sentence. The specialty about which is that it is the pronoun that is used to refer to things. Things include everything except people. Here are a few examples to see how which is used in different sentences.
Which is the fastest animal in the world?
This pen, which costs more than you can afford, allows you to write in space.
This is not the game which you told me you had.
In the examples given above, the usage of the word which can be clearly seen. The word which is used to refer to an animal, a pen, and a game respectively. All in all, they are all objects or things. So, it is clear that which is used with things. In each of these sentences, you can see how which is used in a slightly different way. In the first sentence, which is used more as an interrogative pronoun that is used to refer to an animal. In the second sentence, which is used as a relative pronoun that is used to give more information about the word pen. Do you notice the comma before which? This comma shows that here, in this sentence, the information the clause that begins with the word which provides just an additional information, and the sentence can do without it. In the third sentence, however, you cannot see a comma preceding the word which. That is because, without the clause that begins with which, this particular sentence does not carry the intended meaning.
‘This pen, which costs more than you can afford, allows you to write in space’
What does Who mean?
The relative pronoun who is used in sentences to link some information the sentence presents to a word in that sentence. The specialty about who is that it is the pronoun that is used to refer to people. Look at the following examples.
Who is inside the room?
Mary, who was born in France, writes very well.
Leo is a musician who composed this song.
In the examples given above, the usage of who can be clearly seen too. We can see that, in every instance, the word who is used to refer to people. So, it is clear that who is used with people. In each of these sentences, you can see how who is used in a slightly different way. In the first sentence, who is used more as an interrogative pronoun that is used to refer to a person. In the second sentence, who is used as a relative pronoun that is used to give more information about the person Mary. Do you notice the comma before who? This comma shows that here, in this sentence, the information the clause that begins with the word who provides is just an additional information, and the sentence can do without it. In the third sentence, however, you cannot see a comma preceding the word who. That is because, without the who clause in this particular sentence, the sentence does not give the required meaning.
‘Mary, who was born in France, writes very well’
What is the difference between Which and Who in English Grammar?
Category:
Both which and who belong to the category of relative pronouns in the field of grammar. They are also used as interrogative pronouns.
Usage:
Who: Who is normally used to refer to human beings, either male or female. In other words, who refers to people.
Which: The word which is used to refer to other living beings such as animals, insects, plants and objects in general. In other words, which refers to things.
Commas:
A comma precedes the clauses that begin with which or who if the information is not essential.
A comma does not appear before the words which or who if the information is essential to the meaning of the sentence.
Images Courtesy:
- Pens by Peter Lindberg from Stockholm, Sweden (CC BY 2.0)
- Journal Entry by Joel Montes de Oca (CC BY-SA 2.0)
