That, Which and Who/Run-On/CC Sentences

That, Who and Which

People use these articles as relative pronouns. We make the mistake in putting one i the place of the other in various cases. The reason is that these have a different function each, even though you may think they are the same thing. In modern days one refers to things that the other doesn’t. For example:

Which: “which” refers only when you are dealing with things.

Who/Whom/Whose: These refer only to people (singular + plural)

That: “that” refers to things and also for other purposes like to refer to a class or type of person. 

All three of these can be used in one same sentences but this time having a different meaning each for example:

“That will be the substitute who will be in charge to put people in their classes, she is having trouble with a copied key; the question is; which is which?”

RUN-ON SENTENCES

Run-on sentences happen when you don’t separate two complete ideas by a period. Or the excessive use of commas (meaning that you separate the independent clauses by a comma to continue with more clauses in the same phrase or sentence). 

Some good ideas to prevent these types of errors is to use the semicolon in the place of the two independent clauses (comma places between the two dependent clauses to make one entire independent clause which is a entire idea). Or to just separate each whole idea with a period every single time even though it is the same topic. For example:

“The teacher entered the classroom and sat down in the chair to read, the  the stood up to give directions to the entire class, then she sat down again to grade.” = RUN-ON

“The teacher entered the classroom and sat down in the chair to read. She stood up to give directions to the class. She sat back down again to grade.” = JUST FINE. 

Compound Complex Sentences

A compound complex sentence is made up of two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. A very easy way to prevent errors in the use of these types of sentences is t dominate the ladder of sentences: 

1. Simple Sentences
2. Compound Sentence 
3. Complex Sentence (then the union of the last two)