That or which?

There is a reason the word “that” is in the English vocabulary. Just because our 5th grade English teachers put the fear of God into us over the word, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use it. We just shouldn’t use it when the word can be eliminated altogether and the sentence flows just fine without the use of a substitute like “which.”

Even though the word “which” can be technically correct in most cases, it’s not always a great alternative. Yet some famous authors are so afraid of the word they refuse to use it at all and end up substituting the word “which” so often it jars me right out of their stories almost every time.

In fact, I just took a quick break from an otherwise riveting Michael Crichton novel to vent about this. I’ve noticed Tony Hillerman does the same. I’m starting to notice it more and more. It could be their editors. If so, their editors are just wrong.

The word “that” is a wonderfully invisible word that can keep a story moving. Repeated uses of it—unless it is grossly overused—go relatively unnoticed by readers. Not always the case with word “which.”

What do you think?