relative pronoun

what is the difference between that&which

[A.Russell]

Generally, use which when the clause that follows is not crucial to the sentence:

My new refridgerator, which is red, has a wine cooler.

The information about the fridge being red has been added "by the way."

Thus it is true that these dialect preserve some English forms

The information that follows that is essential to the understanding of the sentence.

You will usually use which after a comer.

Of course, there is a gray area where you can go either way.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by don_rajesh200

what is the difference between that&which

If you are asking about that versus which as relative pronouns, there is some difference bewteen American English and British English.

In AE, we tend to use "that" in restrictive/defining relative clauses -- those that are necessary for the sentence's meaning. We use "which" for non-defining/non-restrictive relative clauses -- those that simply add additional information. Non-defining/non-restrictive clauses are set off from the rest of the sentence with commas.

In BE, they use either "that" or "which" for restrictive clauses and only "which" for non-restrictive clauses.

AE: New York is the US city that hosts the United Nations.
BE: New York is the US city that/which hosts the United Nations.

Both: New York City, which has 8 million residents, hosts the United Nations.