relative clauses

[forsin]

hello everybody,

please tell me whether there is a wrong sentence:

It'll be a little secret, which I won't share with you.
It'll be a little secret which I won't share with you.
It'll be a little secret that I won't share with you.

Thanks for your help.

forsi

[tiorthan]

You can use "that" and "which" but there is no comma in this sentence.

[Duckduck (Contributor)]

You can use "that" and "which" but there is no comma in this sentence.

Hi tiorthan,

Your answer is not completely correct, I'm afraid. Though many people think that "which" and "that" are interchangeable when they function as relative pronouns, they - alas! - are not!

Rule of thumb:
Use "that" when the following clause is restrictive.
Use "which" in all other cases.

Check it up here if you like:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/educat ... sus-that-0

@forsin Welcome to the forum!
In the above sentence the relative clause is restrictive -> no commas, but either use "that" or leave the relative pronoun out altogether -> my favourite option.

This'll be a little secret I won't share with you.

Cheers
Duckduck

[tiorthan]

Indeed, American style guides never mention "which" in restrictive relative clauses, but as far as I remember, it is allowed in formal British English and is used across most dialects in informal language.