Lemon cake or carrot cake? In the Young Cook of Britain competition, the finalists were asked which famous person they would like to cook for. Indirect speech: reporting questions. We use both which and what to ask questions. We use which when there is a restricted range of answers.
We use what more commonly when the range of answers is not restricted:. Which is the capital of Liberia? Monrovia or Greenville? We use which in relative clauses to refer to animals and to things:. We have seen a lot of changes which are good for business. The cruise ship, which will depart from Liverpool for a fifteen-night Mediterranean cruise, returns to the Mersey on 29 September.
We also use which to introduce a relative clause when it refers to a whole clause or sentence:. She seemed more talkative than usual, which was because she was nervous. People think I sit around drinking coffee all day. Which , of course, I do. We often use which with prepositions. There are several small ponds in which a variety of fish live. Relative pronouns: which.
We use of with which before other determiners the, those, your and pronouns yours, them :. Which of the following features do you feel are important when choosing a house? There are a lot of high-street retailers. Which of them are offering the best value for money? Relative clauses. Questions: interrogative pronouns what , who. Outsets and onsets! Which as a question word.
See also: Indirect speech: reporting questions. Which or what? Which in relative clauses. See also: Prepositions Relative pronouns: which. See also: Relative clauses Questions: interrogative pronouns what , who Indirect speech: reporting questions Relative pronouns: which. Popular searches 01 Collocation 02 Adjectives 03 Comparison: adjectives bigger , biggest , more interesting 04 Future: will and shall 05 Say or tell? Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes.
Image credits. Word of the Day sweetheart. Blog Outsets and onsets! Read More. November 08, To top. Adjectives and adverbs Adjectives and adverbs Easily confused words Nouns, pronouns and determiners Prepositions and particles Using English Verbs Words, sentences and clauses Adjectives and adverbs Easily confused words Nouns, pronouns and determiners Easily confused words Nouns, pronouns and determiners Prepositions and particles Using English Verbs Words, sentences and clauses Prepositions and particles Using English Verbs Words, sentences and clauses.
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Comparison: adjectives bigger , biggest , more interesting Comparison: clauses bigger than we had imagined Comparison: comparisons of equality as tall as his father As … as. Adverbs Adverb phrases Adverbs and adverb phrases: position Adverbs and adverb phrases: typical errors Adverbs: forms Adverbs: functions Adverbs: types Comparison: adverbs worse, more easily Fairly Intensifiers very, at all Largely Much , a lot , lots , a good deal : adverbs Pretty Quite Rather Really Scarcely Very.
Above or over? Across , over or through? Advice or advise? Affect or effect? All or every? All or whole? Allow , permit or let? Almost or nearly? Alone , lonely , or lonesome?
Along or alongside? Already , still or yet? Also , as well or too? Alternate ly , alternative ly Although or though? Altogether or all together? Homophonic words are words that are pronounced in the same way as other words but have different meanings, even if they are spelt differently.
This can obviously create confusion and unfortunately there are many of these words in English. And when you listen, remember that a word you think you understood may have another meaning.
Try to understand that meaning from the context. Remember to change the verb to agree with the subject. The main subjects you need to be careful with are he, she and it because they often have a different form to the others.
If you want to connect two ideas or short phrases, you can do so by using a conjunction. For example,. Generally speaking, sentences in written English are not particularly long. A good way to make your sentences even clearer is to add commas. Commas help the reader understand where one phrase finishes and another begins.
In English, the structure of questions is different to the affirmative form. There are four ways to make questions in English:. These rules still apply when you add a question word like what, how, why. Speaking about the past in English is not particularly difficult. Just focus on becoming familiar with the four or five that are used most often. Aim to be able to use these:. In English there are often two ways to express a negative concept. For example, if you want to say the room is empty, you can say:.
Learning all these grammar rules obviously takes time and you also need some guidance to be able to put them into practice. The best way to become confident and proficient in using them is to practice in a supportive and fun environment with experienced teachers.
Find out more about Our Method now. Do you want to know how to learn English grammar? Read our article to see how to learn English grammar and still have fun! Essential clauses do not have commas introducing or surrounding them, whereas nonessential clauses are introduced or surrounded by commas.
Rule 3. If that has already appeared in a sentence, writers sometimes use which to introduce the next clause, whether it is essential or nonessential.
This is done to avoid awkward formations. Example: That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. This sentence is far preferable to the ungainly but technically correct That that doesn't kill you makes you stronger. The distinction between that and which , though a useful guideline, is not universally accepted as a hard-and-fast rule.
For many centuries and up to the present, which has been routinely used by great writers and journalists to introduce essential clauses. Enable JavaScript Uh oh! Hide Notice. NOTE Essential clauses do not have commas introducing or surrounding them, whereas nonessential clauses are introduced or surrounded by commas. NOTE The distinction between that and which , though a useful guideline, is not universally accepted as a hard-and-fast rule.
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