So, Grammarly is correcting me a lot on a phrase I tend to use, and I don’t entirely understand the difference.
On a sentence that expands upon a previous sentence in dialog, I tend to have a character say “Which means […]”
Grammarly wants to fix this to be “This means […]”
It’s become clear to me that I tend to use ‘which’ instead of ‘this’ when speaking, but I am not sure why one is preferred use over the other.
Can anyone offer me some insight? I already tried googling “which vs this”, but I got results for “which vs that” instead, which is an entirely different use case.
I could be wrong here, but I think the issue lies in starting a sentence with which. Whereas which would be used in the middle of a sentence. For starting a sentence, this should be used.
Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I just pretend that I know Grammar rules fairly decently.
I’m not completely confident, either, but I was thinking the same thing. It’s not okay to start a sentence with “which”, but if the period between sentences was a comma instead, it would be perfectly fine.
Others have already talked about the grammatical rules a bit. I want to offer a “rule of thumb” that really helped me in my thesis writing:
Anytime you’re going to use “this,” especially at the start of a new sentence, rephrase what you’re saying.
For example:
My stomach is rumbling. This means I am hungry. My stomach is rumbling. Gastro-intestinal sounds mean I am hungry.
It’s a bad example, but it really does help.
“Which” to me indicates options exist to enumerate, but aren’t mentioned, whereas ‘This’ is to expressly define something previously mentioned. I belive this to be the case that Grammarly is applying.
However, from a usage perspective, I feel the usage of ‘which’ or ‘this’ (along with '‘that’) frequently add no information to a sentence, and is best to be removed unless your text is trying to be conversational (where words are added for courtesy or to help with fluency).
And it is in a conversation format (i.e. character dialog) that Grammarly is finding this phrase to correct.
I’m one for ignoring grammatical ‘rules’ if I feel they obstruct what I’m trying to communicate.
Grammarly will tend to homogenize just due to the type of tool it is and that can be at the expense of a more colourful way of communicating ideas.
To me; “which means” would be used as part of an ongoing sentence. Whereas “This means” is the start of a new sentence.
I’d also argue that they have slightly different intentions: “Which means” gives an air of musing on an idea, thinking on it, developing a conclusion “This means” is more defined and definite, more essay-like in stating the definition of the idea
I’d say, use whatever you think feels more suitable for you, in the moment, to express the ideas that you’re writing. Don’t let grammatical accuracy impose artificial limitation on your expression <3
I remember reading somewhere that if the text is supposed to be conversational, then you can be way more lax with grammar rules. Most human don’t talk like they have a grammar-bot pressing a gun to their back 😝 So OP, you are definitely free to stick with “Which means.” Hell, if this is first person narration, then all the more reason to.
Don’t let grammatical accuracy impose artificial limitation on your expression <3
^ This, 100%!
Your options are
I’m hungry, which means I should eat.
Or
I’m hungry. That means I should eat.
If you’re getting pinged for using “which” wrong, it’s probably because you are using a period before “which” instead of a comma, which I’ve shown above.
This means that when “which” introduces a subordinate clause it is treated as a conjunction, which means it can’t begin a sentence.
I have to say I much prefer “Which means…” rather than “This means…” in these kinds of cases. It sounds far more natural to me.
Can I get a drum roll here, please? ;)
@Zagaroth Sorry I’m late! Drum Kit Guy is getting a checkup. We have some sick drums, just not the ones we wanted. #rimshot #TheAmazingWorldofGumball
