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I have been reading up on the correct use of 'which' and 'that' but I am still struggling. I am unsure if 'must be taken regularly' is restrictive or not. Both 'which' and 'that' sound correct to me. Can someone please tell me which word is correct to use in the following sentence:

Arava is a strongly recommended medication, which must be taken regularly.

Arava is a strongly recommended medication that must be taken regularly.

Thank you.

Andrew Leach
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hellenaaa
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  • Both sentences mean the exact same thing. You are struggling to choose one precisely because they both mean the exact same thing. – RegDwigнt Apr 27 '15 at 12:31
  • @RegDwigнt but looking at Pugh's answer, we see that (!) "which" and "that" are used differently. It would be a shame that his answer be "forgotten". – Mari-Lou A Apr 27 '15 at 12:46

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Okay, my 60 francs cfa is that "that" is for identifying more closely the thing you want to talk about in contradistinction to other things, while "which" tells you something else about the object that you didn't know before.

Imagine: "Officer, please find the white Mercedes that made off with my little boy!" (not just any old Mercedes but that one – a mnemonic?) contra "A white Mercedes, which had been stolen in California, was found in a ditch outside Boston." The being stolen does not identify which Mercedes, it adds information, perhaps not the information that interests you.

Or, "The white Mercedes that was involved in the kidnapping was found in a ditch outside Fargo, which is a small town in the Dakotas." (In this usage, both the "that was" and the "which is" can be elided, I think there was a thread about that.)

This pattern is not the only one, but it's frequent.

Your sentences about the medicines: My taste is for the second, but I would not say that the first was a hanging offence.

David Pugh
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