From: Andy Parkins <andyparkins@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2007 09:49:08 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH] fix some doc typos and grammar
Message-ID: <200702020949.09655.andyparkins@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <7vmz3xjbxv.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net>

On Friday 2007 February 02 06:44, Junio C Hamano wrote:

> Ah, "which or that", very funny.  At work today I was working
> with somebody you know (AB) on a document, and he was fixing my
> that to which.  Now you are fixing my which to that.

In case anyone is interested; a handy rule of thumb (i.e. it isn't always 
true, but will hold you in good stead) is that "which" should be preceded by 
a comma and "that" should not.  If you write a sentence that requires the 
comma, then it's "which"; if it requires not having a comma, then 
it's "that".

e.g. 

"git is a version control system, which is a piece of software used for 
tracking changes to files over time"

"git is a version control system that has a fanatical following of users who 
will kill anyone who asks for rename support"

In the first case the "which" describes what a version control system is.  In 
the second, the "that" describes what git is.


Andy
-- 
Dr Andy Parkins, M Eng (hons), MIEE
andyparkins@gmail.com