Speechwriting: Who and That

A common mistake is to confuse “who” and “that” —another common misuse of the word “that.”

She’s the girl that loves me.

My boss is the only one that cares about the late project.

I’m looking for the man that hit my car.

When talking about people, use “who.”

She’s the girl who loves me.

My boss is the only one who cares about the late project.

I’m looking for the man who hit my car.

In my house, animals are people. I use “who” to refer to them, too.

Who spread pillow stuffing all over the floor?

Use “that” for inanimate objects.

Where’s the bag that holds my stuff?

Here’s the toy that I tripped over.

Here’s the sentence that ends this post.