Hello, beautiful people of the universe!

I know I have been missing in action for a while now; and oh, how I’ve missed you! But let me tell you about something really memorable that I did very recently, that will forever be etched in my memory as a traumatizing, yet invigorating experience: I gave my little fairy wings a break and decided to run a marathon. Yes, 26.2 miles of absolute madness, I tell you. And while I understand that this has nothing to do with grammar and that this website is not a journal, I am a Fairy Godwriter and I can write about whatever I very well please 🙂

Getting back on this grammar train

Alright, little darlings, having said that, let’s move on to today’s grammar lesson, shall we? Today we’re discussing “who” vs. “that”. You know what I’m talking about. Often, people will say something along the lines of:

“I have a friend that lives in the city.” 

“I have a cousin that loves drinking green juice.” 

Now, living in the city is so much fun, and everyone and their mother should drink green juice (stop making that disgusted face unless you’ve tried it, bacon lovers. How is your diverticulitis going?) But let me tell you all something that makes total sense when you think about it:

“I have a friend who lives in the city,” and “I have a cousin who loves drinking green juice” makes a lot more sense than the previous examples, since your friend and your cousin are people; not things.

When to use that

“I know a restaurant that serves the most creative vegan dishes.” The restaurant is a place; a thing.

“I know a corner bodega that sells craft beers.”

The bodega is a place; a thing. Go on and use “that” when describing what they do (also, go on and buy those craft beers while you’re at it).

When to use who

“I am a person who loves proper grammar.”

“When I used to practice law, I had employers who made Lucifer and Professor Snape seem as sweet and docile as Bambi.”

When talking about people, follow what they do and/or their description with “who”.

That is all for today, precious seekers of knowledge! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! And if you’ve already watched The Last Jedi, don’t be an ass by posting spoilers on social media.

Much love,

The Fairy Godwriter