In English grammar, the choice between ‘who’ and ‘that’ as a relative pronoun can sometimes be confusing. In the sentence ‘Do you remember the child that we met last Wednesday?’ the use of ‘that’ instead of ‘who’ has a specific reason related to the type of noun being referred to. In this article, we will explain why ‘that’ is used in this context and explore the rules for using ‘that’ and ‘who’ in relative clauses.
Relative Pronouns: ‘That’ vs ‘Who’
‘Who’ is typically used for people, while ‘that’ can be used for both people and things. However, in informal contexts, ‘that’ is often used in place of ‘who’ when referring to people. This usage is especially common in spoken English or when the relative clause is restrictive.
In the sentence ‘Do you remember the child that we met last Wednesday?’, ‘that’ is used because it refers to a specific person, ‘the child’. In everyday conversation, it is perfectly acceptable to use ‘that’ in place of ‘who’, especially when the sentence is referring to a specific individual, and there is no ambiguity in the meaning.
When to Use ‘That’ Instead of ‘Who’
In general, ‘that’ is used in restrictive relative clauses, where the information provided by the clause is necessary to identify the noun. For example, in ‘Do you remember the child that we met last Wednesday?’, the clause ‘that we met last Wednesday’ is essential to identify which child is being referred to.
On the other hand, ‘who’ is used for people when the relative clause provides additional, non-essential information. For example, ‘Do you remember the child, who we met last Wednesday?’ would imply that the clause is extra information, not crucial to identifying the child.
Examples of ‘That’ and ‘Who’ in Sentences
1. The book that I borrowed was interesting.
2. The woman who lives next door is my friend.
In sentence 1, ‘that’ is used to refer to ‘the book’, while in sentence 2, ‘who’ is used to refer to ‘the woman’. Both ‘that’ and ‘who’ are used as relative pronouns, but ‘that’ is used when the information is essential, while ‘who’ adds non-essential information.
Summary
In the sentence ‘Do you remember the child that we met last Wednesday?’, ‘that’ is used because it refers to a person in a restrictive relative clause. Although ‘who’ can also be used for people, ‘that’ is commonly used in informal speech and in restrictive clauses, making it appropriate in this case. Understanding the difference between ‘that’ and ‘who’ can help you use relative pronouns more effectively in your writing and speaking.
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