1. That vs. Which “Are you afraid of the whiches?”

2. That When confused about when to use “that,” look for a restrictive clause. A restrictive clause is just part of a sentence that you can't get rid of because it specifically restricts some other part of the sentence.

3. Here’s an example: Gems that sparkle often elicit forgiveness. The words that sparkle restrict the kind of gems you're talking about. Without them, the meaning of the sentence would change. Without them, you'd be saying that all gems elicit forgiveness, not just the gems that sparkle. (And note that you don't need commas around the words that sparkle.)

4. “ Some verbs that beg for that…” A quick way to see if you need to use “that,” or “which,” is to look for a cue word. Verbs that beg for “that” after them… Advocate Assert Contend Declare Estimate Propose Etc… Verbs that beg for “that” before them… After Although Because Before Until While Etc…

5. Which When confused about using “which,” look for a non-restrictive clause. A nonrestrictive clause is something that can be left off without changing the meaning of the sentence. You can think of a nonrestrictive clause as simply additional information.

6. Here’s an example: There was an earthquake in China, which is bad news If you leave off the clause that says which is bad news, it doesn't change the meaning of the rest of the sentence.

7. And another… Diamonds, which are expensive, often elicit forgiveness. Diamonds are always expensive, so leaving out the words which are expensive doesn't change the meaning of the sentence. (Also note that the phrase is surrounded by commas. Nonrestrictive clauses are usually surrounded by, or preceded by, commas.)

8. Let’s see how you’re doing… For our class activity, we would like you to break up into teams of 2. Complete the handout together. Once the class has finished, we will go over the answers together. Extra Credit- Can you name the famous play this quote is based on? “Double, double, toil and trouble, that or which will bring you trouble!”

9. References Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ Casagrande, June. Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies, A Guide To Language For Fun And Spite. Penguin Group USA, 2008.