WeChat ID ericzenglish Intro Gradatim Ferociter，一步一步前进，摆脱一切牵绊。 “任何试图在一小时之内讲清楚that 和 which用法的人都是在自找苦吃。” Zinsser在这里用两分钟的时间，快刀斩乱麻, 给我们一些that, which实际写作中的启示。如果你对 “从句” “限定性” 这种语法jargon不感冒，或许这两分钟会让你找到你的Aha moment. Anyone who tries to explain “that” and “which” in less than an hour is asking for trouble. Fowler, in his Modern English Usage, takes 25 columns of type. I’m going for two minutes, perhaps the world record. Here (I hope) is much of what you need to bear in mind: Always use “that” unless it makes your meaning ambiguous. Notice that in carefully edited magazines, such as The New Yorker, “that” is by far the predominant usage. I mention this because it is still widely believed—a residue from school and college—that “which” is more correct, more acceptable, more literary. It’s not. In most situations, “that” is what you would naturally say and therefore what you should write. Here's the deal: You use that before a restrictive clause and which before everything else. If your sentence needs a comma to achieve its precise meaning, it probably needs “which.”“Which” serves a particular identifying function, different from “that.” This means: take the shoes that are in the closet, not the ones under the bed. (B) “Take the shoes, which are in the closet.” Only one pair of shoes is under discussion; the “which” usage tells you where they are. Note that the comma is necessary in B, but not in A. 简单来说, here’s the rule of thumb: Use which (surrounded by commas) if a group of words adds information. Use that if it limits the set of things you're talking about. A high proportion of “which” usages narrowly describe, or identify, or locate, or explain, or otherwise qualify the phrase that preceded the comma: The house, which has a red roof, The store, which is called Bob’s Hardware, The Rhine, which is in Germany, The monsoon, which is a seasonal wind, The moon, which I saw from the porch, That’s all I’m going to say that I think you initially need to know to write good nonfiction, which is a form that requires exact marshaling of information. *** Let's face it, most people are unaware of the guideline set out above. Thus, we can confidently say that most people probably use that and which interchangeably. In most instances, this doesn't cause undue confusion. In formal business or technical communications (for example, contracts, tenders or technical specifications), though, such ambiguities can give rise to serious legal and financial problems. For example, consider this story from npr.org: A contract dispute in Canada centers on what's being called a million-dollar comma. Canada's telecommunications regulator has decided that a misplaced comma in a contract concerning telephone poles will allow a company to save an estimated $2 million (Canadian). In summary, a pedantic attitude to the difference between that and which may be very necessary for business or technical communications. Subscribe ERICZENGLISH, which is a reliable source of learning English. @英语学习笔记 阅读原文: When to leave out "that" Reward 长按二维码向我转账 受苹果公司新规定影响，微信 iOS 版的赞赏功能被关闭，可通过二维码转账支持公众号。 Write a comment Scan QR Code via WeChat to follow Official Account