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That vs. Who 942 Views


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Transcript

00:04

That versus Who, a la Shmoop. You have a dog. She is short and brown and

00:11

cute.

00:11

She is also a food thief.

00:14

So, how do you describe your dog to your friends? Is she the dog that steals biscuits from the

00:20

breakfast table...

00:21

...or the dog who steals biscuits from the breakfast table?

00:25

Here's the rule when it comes to 'that' versus 'who'...

00:27

...use 'that' when you're talking about an object...

00:30

...and 'who' when talking about a person. For example, you are a person who owns a dog.

00:36

You are the person who named that poor dog Brumhilda.

00:41

Your parents are the ones who bought you the dog for Christmas...

00:44

...and then regretted the decision immediately. Brumhilda likes to snatch the biscuits that

00:49

sit on the breakfast table...

00:51

...and the kibble that is in the cat's bowl...

00:54

...and any stray piece of food that ends up on the kitchen floor.

00:58

Using 'that' when you're talking about an object...

01:01

...and 'who' when you're talking about a person...

01:03

...seems straightforward, right?

01:06

But what about when you're dealing with an animate object that isn't a person, like Brumhilda

01:11

the biscuit-snatcher? In this case, you could use either 'that'

01:15

or 'who'. Both would be correct.

01:17

However, given your small dog's outsized personality...

01:20

...you'd more likely say that she's the animal who is closest to your heart.

01:24

Your brother's pet goldfish, on the other hand...

01:26

...well, he's just the creature that exists to keep the family cat entertained.

01:30

And that's it for the 'that' versus 'who' rule.

01:32

Now, you'd better go get Brumhilda. Looks like it's the scrambled eggs that are her

01:36

target today...

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