Answers: Do you use "that" or "who" when referring to... people, versus... objects?

[bluewolf458]

When I was at school, we were given a simple rule - use 'who' (or whom) for people, 'that' for animals, and 'which' or 'that' for places or things. Simple. Straightforward. A rule I still use. But do our Sentinel friends use it?

Comments

[storyfan]

I agree the rules have become much more elastic, especially in less formal or fictional writing. I worked at newspapers for many years, and the rules about who and whom, as well as the rule concerning ending sentences with prepositions, were quite rigid. Unless it was a direct quote, we never ended sentences in prepositions.

If I recall correctly, "that" was only used for things, never people. I've been out of the business for a couple of years, however; the rules have probably changed a bit.

[bluewolf458]

The 'that' tends to be more informal usage, but believe me, I went through a fair number of sources while compiling this to establish that it was acceptable.

Re prepositions - that was definitely a rule of Latin grammar, and sticking with it can make for very clumsy wording in English. I keep coming back to Churchill's "That is something up with which I will not put"...

[thistle_chaser]

I sort of (but not really) wish I could relax about these things. The rules might be becoming more elastic, but it's like nails on a chalkboard when someone uses 'that' to refer to a person.

I suppose it's good that I work as a technical writer -- we're probably the last ones to let go of rules.

[bluewolf458]

Actually, I do agree with you - as I said, I still stick with the ruling I was given at school - but as a fandom grammar writer, I have to reflect everything that is indicated in the sources I've researched while writing the entry.