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How do you decided when to use which as opposed to that?

It never felt too important to me to be able to make this distinction, but now, I do want to get this right.

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    This question belongs on English SE, as it is about grammar and not the writing process. I have flagged it as such. I have also removed the 'which vs that' tag. You should generally avoid creating new tags as much as possible. Use existing tags whenever you can. If only one tag is applicable, use only one tag. It's okay. – Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron Nov 05 '17 at 17:16
  • @ThomasMyron I don't believe this is about grammar as much as word choice. In common speaking, people use 'which' and 'that' interchangeably. "He added garlic oil, which made all the difference in the world." or "He added garlic oil, that made all the difference in the world." I don't know if one is more grammatically correct than the other, but my readers are not English teachers! One sounds better to me than the other. I should think the fine points of word choice are on topic here. – Amadeus Nov 05 '17 at 18:17

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I tend to use 'which' when there was a choice to be made, I tend to use 'that' when there was not.

John took her bait piece, which he did not realize would let Karen proceed three squares to the castle. That ensured she would win the game.

Amadeus
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  • It isn't a choice. There are grammatical rules indicating which word to use when. I don't know them, otherwise I would answer, but I know they exist. Note the second answer on the linked question this is a duplicate of. – Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron Nov 06 '17 at 00:43
  • @ThomasMyron Why the SECOND when the first has more votes and was the one accepted? According to the first, there is a choice, and the link to the language log backs up their assertion. BTW, the second answer is a close second, and supports the answer I gave. – Amadeus Nov 06 '17 at 03:27
  • The first answer agrees that there IS a grammatical rule, which is then explained by the second answer. However, the first theorizes that you can ignore the rule and use whichever one you want. I disagree. That being said... I'm sorry about overreacting to this so much. I'm a grammar freak. :) – Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron Nov 06 '17 at 05:00