Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[fw]

(1)
I understand that although both (a) and (b), below, equally look as if they were the same---of the identifying use, (a) is completely acceptable while (b) is not.
(Please note that, in theory, it is the rain that nourishes the crops and that there is no rain that does not nourish the crops. Likewise, it is the sun that ripens the crops and that there is no sun that does not ripens the crops.)

(a) the rain that nourishes the crops and the sun that ripens them�
(b) the rain which nourishes the crops and the sun which ripens them�

(2)
Why I think as in the above is because I feel the relative pronoun "which" has a stronger "identifying" power than "that", whereas the relative pronoun "that" has, rather, a power of picking out and focusing one of the factors the antecedent has while "which" does not.

Am I correct in (1) and (2) above?

[Eric Thompson]

Dear fw: You are right--'that' is better than 'which' in this situation. 'Which' has a feeling of selecting among choices, that carries over from its use as an interrogative. And there's only one rain and one sun, no choices. Ok? -- Eric