Who/that
Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 2:58 pm
Murod is looking for a roommate who has a great sense of responsibility.
My English teacher explained the sentence above as follows:
Of course, "who" is correct in your sentence.
But some people say:
a. If you use "who," the sentence could be interpreted as referring to a specific person whom Murod already knows.
b. In your sentence, Murod is simply looking for a KIND / TYPE of roommate. So some people actually think that using "that" instead of "who" would be better.
............................................................................................................................
Is he right about is? We are taught that both who and that are used for people but there is stylistical difference.
(a) Murod is looking for a roommate who has a great sense of responsibility. (usual/natural and more formal)
(b) Murod is looking for a roommate that has a great sense of responsibility. (more informal/colloquial) Am I right?
My English teacher explained the sentence above as follows:
Of course, "who" is correct in your sentence.
But some people say:
a. If you use "who," the sentence could be interpreted as referring to a specific person whom Murod already knows.
b. In your sentence, Murod is simply looking for a KIND / TYPE of roommate. So some people actually think that using "that" instead of "who" would be better.
............................................................................................................................
Is he right about is? We are taught that both who and that are used for people but there is stylistical difference.
(a) Murod is looking for a roommate who has a great sense of responsibility. (usual/natural and more formal)
(b) Murod is looking for a roommate that has a great sense of responsibility. (more informal/colloquial) Am I right?