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Should I use 'that' or 'which' in the following sentence?

My teaching experience and technical background are not the only factors which/that make me a suitable applicant.

Additionally, how do I know when to omit 'that' from a sentence? For instance, consider these sentences:

It was during those 2 years that I began comprehending the sophistication of techniques employed in the industry.

It was two years of my life that I enjoyed thoroughly.

I am confident that I can make a positive contribution to your organisation.

In which of the above should I omit the word and how do I know when to do so?

Thanks

rjaditya
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  • 1 requires that. 2. that cannot be omitted. 3. ditto 4. that is optional – user405662 Nov 27 '20 at 13:35
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    @user405662 Why does the first sentence require that and not which? Also, is the third sentence correct? – rjaditya Nov 27 '20 at 13:41
  • I consider that you could use either which or that - or simply making me. You should not omit the word from any of the three sentences; you could omit it from the third. – Kate Bunting Nov 27 '20 at 13:41
  • rjaditya: In nutshell, if you are merely providing additional info, use which; if, however, the following clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence, use that. That said, the rule isn't strictly observed and the two are often used interchangeably. – user405662 Nov 27 '20 at 13:48
  • I would strongly discourage you from omitting that in the sentence "It was during ..." , because the phrase that follows that is quite long. I don't think this is a grammatical issue, though, but a stylistic one. – Peter Shor Nov 27 '20 at 15:21
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    Does this answer your question? When to use “that” and when to use “which”, especially in relative clauses Or this? Omitting 'which' or 'that' in a sentence – Edwin Ashworth Nov 27 '20 at 15:53
  • @Peter Shor: That is necessitated there more by grammatical considerations than stylistic, right? Could you please explain why not if you think otherwise? – user405662 Nov 27 '20 at 18:05
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    @user405662: I think the OP's second sentence sounds lot better with that in it, but I don't find anything wrong with "It was during those years I lost my way," where the relative clause is a lot shorter. These are grammatically the same (if you don't think so, tell me why). And the general rule for when you can drop that – when it's not the subject of the relative clause – is satisfied by both of these sentences. – Peter Shor Nov 27 '20 at 18:09

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"My teaching... are not the only factors which/that make me a suitable applicant." => 'which' and 'that' are relative pronouns (they stand for 'factors'). Since they are the subjects of the verb 'make', you cannot omit them. Both are correct. 'Which' is more formal.

In sentences 2, 3, 4, 'that' – whether it's a relative pronoun or a relative conjunction – is not the subject of the verb that follows. You can omit 'that', if you like... Omitting 'that' will make your sentence slightly more informal.

Patrick D
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