Make certain your referents are clear. Remember that your reader is not as close to the research or the writing you’ve been doing. When you write “this theory,” “that point” or refer to an “it,” is it clear to which theory, point, or “it” you’re referring? When you use “he,” “she,” or “the critics,” consider whether your reader will have to pause to try to figure out the answer to the question: who are these people?
The infamous “this.” As in: I will elaborate on “this” later. As writers, we often throw the word “this” around when we’re not entirely sure what aspect of our argument we want to draw our readers’ attention to, especially when making a complex argument with multiple elements. Occasionally, vague language can be a symptom of confused thinking. Stop and ask yourself, what does “this” refer to? What words could I replace “this” with that would clarify your intention to the reader? If you can’t answer easily, go back to what you’ve already written and clarify your ideas in that section. Remember, it is impossible for your readers to understand what you mean when you don’t understand yourself.
Never write “that” when referring to a person: As in: “The man that discovered numerous uses for…” or “The author that she referred to first wrote on the subject of bee pollination.” The man and the author referred to are people, not objects, and it’s rather insulting to call them “that,” not to mention completely grammatically wrong. Use who or whom, such as: “The man who discovered numerous uses for…” and “The author to whom she was referring….” Unsure of whether to use who or whom? Read on to the next section.
“Who” is what doing what to “whom?” Ask yourself the previous question when you’re uncertain which word to use. The one that does the action (the subject) is the “who.” The one that receives the action (the object) is the “whom.”
A tip for learning the rules. Although all this grammar stuff may seem challenging and like there’s way too much to learn, learning the rules once and for all will help you write freely and intelligently. To help with this task, try starting a text file in which you list the rules you need help with and refer to it when you write. I have done this numerous times as an editor. The best part is that you can add new information to your file any time you come across it. You can look rules up in numerous style manuals or on various sources available on the Internet. Just be sure your sources are legitimate and actually know what they’re talking about. One way to figure out whether your source is legitimate is to see who published it. Usually anything published by a university or college can be considered pretty reliable. You can also always consult with your friendly neighborhood editor.
There’s nothing grammatically incorrect about using “that” as the relative pronoun with a human referent. It was the only relative pronoun up until the 15th century, when “who” became acceptable as well. It wasn’t until the 18th century that “who” even mounted a challenge to “that”. And even now there are some situations where “that” is much more standard than “who” (as in “The people that/who/whom I know”). It’s neither impolite nor ungrammatical. But don’t just trust me. The details are at http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/people-that-need-people-i-a-history-of-thatwho/
Hi Gabe,
You’re not wrong, the whole question of “who” versus “that” as a relative pronoun with a human referent is quite a gray area. As to your 15th century point, I do, in fact, remember that Geoffrey Chaucer, for example, (14th century English poet, author, philosopher, etc.) did indeed use “that” instead of “who.” I suppose it’s more conventional wisdom to use “who” with a human referent rather than a hard and fast rule (my use of the word never was probably too strong!). I do maintain that it stills seems more correct today to use “who,” and judging by a brief google search on “grammar who versus that,” I found there a lot of smart folks who agree with me. 😉
Nice blog, by the way.
Thanks for the comment! I love it when someone gets me thinking!
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