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Subject:Re: Use of "that" From:John -dot- Renish -at- CONNER -dot- COM Date:Fri, 2 Feb 1996 07:57:04 PST
And no doubt "which" is appropriate only when discusssing pagans in pointy
hats. English is somewhat unusual among languages in that "proper" spoken
and written forms are pretty much identical--perhaps your teacher mistook
English for Arabic or Attic Greek. The OED has no problem with "that"
introducing a restrictive clause and gives written examples back at least to
the 13th century. "Which" sounds (reads) so pedantic in introducing a
restrictive clause that I reserve it almost exclusively for non-restrictive
clauses and blithefully, if not tastefully, choose "that" nearly everywhere
else.
John -dot- Renish -at- Conner -dot- com
My comments are my own and do not represent Conner Peripherals
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