pynchon-l-digest V2 #3050

[Terrance]

Malignd wrote:
> 
> Next week:  That/which.
> 

For those who believe that english has grammar (it does not) or are
interested in usage or elements of srunken white style, a dictionary is
probably not the best book to guide you. 

William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
The Elements of Style
can be purchased for about a buck at lots of used book stores or you can
get one at one of those online super stores for a fin. 

Another excellent handbook is Hans P. Guth
New Concise Handbook 

who/which/that

WHO and WHOM refer to pronouns (the man WHOM I asked"). 
WHICH refers to ideas and things ("my son's car, WHICH I bought). 
A WHO, WHOM, or WHICH introducing a restrictive clause may (not can) be
replaced with THAT. In such situations, conservative usage keeps WHO
(WHOM) but prefers THAT to WHICH. 

Restrictive: The man whom I asked liked the car that I bought. 

OF WHICH and IN WHICH can easily make a sentence awkward. WHOSE is
therefore widely accepted in reference to ideas and things: "the
Shank-Painter Swamp, WHOSE expressive name ... gave it it importance in
our eyes" (Thoreau).