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Difference Between Which And In Which In English Grammar

Last Updated : 02 Aug, 2023
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Both the words which and in which are relative pronouns and at times used as interrogative pronouns. The word which has more reach than in which and in which is mostly used specific cases.

Difference between Which and In which

Difference between Which and In which

Meaning of Which

“Which” is a pronoun that is used to ask for information about one or more things or people from a given set of options. It is also used to introduce a relative clause that provides additional information about a noun or pronoun in a sentence. 

Usage of Which

  • To ask for information about one or more options. For example, Which color do you prefer?
  • To introduce a relative clause for example The movie, which was released last week, is already a box office hit.

Examples of Which

  • Which one do you prefer among this two?
  • I can’t decide which dish item to get.
  • The teacher asked the students which country they would like to study for their higher studies.
  • Which painting in the gallery is favorite for you?
  • The company is conducting a survey to find out which products are more selling. 

Meaning of In Which

“In which” is a phrase that is commonly used in English to introduce a relative clause that provides additional information about a noun or pronoun in a sentence. It is also used to describe a specific location or situation.

Usage of In Which

To introduce a relative clause that provides extra information. For example, The house in which I grew up was small.

Examples of In Which

  • In which restaurant do you eat?
  • In which city she born?
  • The book in which he found the information was very helpful.
  • The park in which we had a picnic was crowded with families.
  • The room in which the meeting was held was too small for all the participants.
  • The school located in which area?.  

Differences between Which and In Which

Feature

Which

In which

Usage As a pronoun As a prepositional phrase
Function Asking for information Describing a specific location/situation
Introduction Introduces a relative clause Introduces a prepositional phrase
Order Can be placed at the beginning or end of a sentence Can be placed at the beginning of a sentence
Preposition Does not require a preposition Requires a preposition “in”
Relativity Refer to any noun or pronoun Refers specifically to a noun or pronoun that denotes a place or situation
Examples Which book do you want to read? The house in which I grew up was small but cozy.
Possessive form Can be used with possessive form of a noun Cannot be used with the possessive form of a noun

Conclusion

In summary, “which” and “in which” are both relative pronouns used to introduce subordinate clauses in English grammar. While “which” provides additional information about a noun or pronoun in the main clause, “in which” refers to a place or situation mentioned in the main clause. Understanding the differences between the two can help in choosing the appropriate one to use in a sentence.


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