Exploring Grammar: When to Use 'Who' and 'That' for People

In the English language, understanding the correct usage of who and that can significantly impact the clarity and grammatical correctness of sentences. Let's delve into a common query: “The woman who sells apples also sells oranges. Is this sentence grammatically correct?”

Usage of 'Who' and 'That'

Most native speakers prefer “who” to “that” when referring to people. Consider these examples:

The man who sells apples also sells oranges. The man who lives next door is a good neighbour. The man who mows my lawn is a part-time waiter.

In these sentences, who is used to refer to a person, and the verb forms are consistent with the subject.

Grammatical Analysis of a Specific Query

A user asked: “Is this sentence grammatically correct: ‘The man that sells apples also sells oranges’?”

My response was: “The only incorrect part is the pronoun ‘that’ because ‘who’ should be used when referring to people. At least you used the correct verbs and lowercased the fruit names. Below is how I would write this:

“The man who sells apples also sells oranges.”

Also see my other answers on this topic.

Discussion on Subject-Verb Agreement

Austin Maho further questioned: "Is this correct English: The man who sells apples also sell oranges?"

Based on subject-verb agreement, the response was: “This sentence is grammatically incorrect. The subject ‘man’ is third-person singular, so the verbs should also be singular: ‘sells’. This correction can be seen in the following sentence:

“The woman who sells apples also sells oranges.”

At least you correctly wrote ‘apples’ and ‘oranges’ without capital letters. See a recent answer I wrote that addresses incorrect capitalization as well as incorrect verb choice for the same example sentence, which was a common question in an English-language textbook in Nigeria.

Choosing the Correct Descriptive Phrase

The usage of descriptive phrases versus restrictive clauses (e.g., who vs. that) can be confusing, particularly when trying to identify people. Here are some alternatives to the original sentence: The female apple vendor also sells oranges. The produce stand sells apples and oranges. The woman with the produce cart sells apples and oranges.

These alternatives streamline the sentence and ensure clarity, especially in contexts where the vendor is being specifically identified or there is a need to avoid ambiguity.

Conclusion

Understanding the correct usage of who versus that, along with subject-verb agreement, is crucial for clear and grammatically correct writing. By utilizing these principles, you can enhance the clarity and professionalism of your written communication.