"Who" refers to people only. "That" may refer to animals, groups, or things. "That" can also refer to people, but "who" is preferred.
Incorrect: The car who picked her up was silver.
Correct: The car that picked her up was silver.
Explanation: We use "that" when talking about the car because it is an object, not a person.
Incorrect: The woman that was driving the car was wearing a blue shirt.
Correct: The woman who was driving the car was wearing a blue shirt.
Explanation: Although the first sentence could is not completely incorrect, "who" is preferred when referencing a person.
Example 1
Incorrect: There’s not one New England person that doesn’t know who Tom Brady is.
Correct: There’s not one New England person who doesn’t know Tom Brady is.
Explanation: We changed "that" in the first sentence to "who" because it is referencing a person.
Incorrect: Coronavirus is a virus who is affecting many people.
Correct: Coronavirus is a virus that is affecting many people.
Explanation: A virus is not a person, therefore "that" is used in place of "who."
Kevin Durant, Framingham State U, Class of 2022
Sophia Calisi, Framingham State U, Class of 2022
Chris Bellomo, Framingham State U, Class of 2022
Works Cited
"Meme Generator." Left Exit 12 Off Ramp-Impflip, Imgflip LLC, 2020, imgflip.com/i/3rf21n.
Shmoop. "That vs. Who by Shmoop." Youtube, 19 April 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdJG8nuj47I&feature=emb_title.
“Who vs. That.” Grammar and Punctuation, 17 Jan. 2016, data.grammarbook.com/blog/who-vs-which-vs-that/who-vs-that/.
