Halsted M. Bernard - Latest Comments

Re: What vs. Which

Amber — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:09:00 -0000

An easy rule-of-thumb to use for the what-vs-which debate is, I feel, the following: use "what" when the proceeding word is a verb; use "which" when the proceeding word is a noun.

Re: What vs. Which

Halsted M. Bernard — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:37:00 -0000

You aren't missing anything. I was trying to show the shift in thinking about a topic from which (limited number) to what (unlimited/unspecified).

Re: What vs. Which

Joseph LeBon — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:32:00 -0000

Thanks for this clear explanation. However, you appear to have broken your own rule when you say, "...[if] you had no idea which band ... you would ask him: 'What band...?'."

Or am I missing something?

Re: What vs. Which

matt — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:44:38 -0000

and now, can you please explain when to use "which" and when to use "that"?