What is the Difference Between Who and That?

The main difference between "who" and "that" lies in the types of nouns they are used to refer to. Here are the key guidelines:

1. Who: This relative pronoun is always used to refer to people. For example: "The friend who just went to California."
2. That: This relative pronoun is used for inanimate objects, organizations, and types of people. It can also be used when talking about a class or type of person. For example: "This is the key that fits the front door lock."

While "that" may sometimes be used to refer to people, "who" is generally preferred when referring to people. Here are some examples:

• The correct word in "John is the president of a group who/that advocates for workers' rights" would be "that" since it refers to the group and not to John.
• In "The board members who/that voted against Mr. Wayne were asked to explain their choice," you would use "who" since it refers to people (the board members).

In summary:

• Use "who" when referring to people.
• Use "that" for inanimate objects, organizations, and types of people, or when referring to a specific class or type of person.

Comparative Table: Who vs That

The search results provided do not directly address the difference between "who" and "that." However, I can provide an explanation based on my existing knowledge.

The difference between "who" and "that" lies in their usage and meaning in a sentence:

• Who: This is a wh-word used to refer to people, usually as the subject or object of a verb. For example, "Who won the game?" or "The person who called was my friend."

• That: This is a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to things, animals, or people, usually as the object of a verb or preposition. For example, "That book is mine," or "I love that movie."

In summary: