"Who That?"

A Cozy Mystery Editor Bemoans Pronouns

By Patricia Rockwell

As I edit a new manuscript from a cozy mystery author, I am always honed in on one grammatical mistake that drives me nuts.  This error is the often mistaken use of the pronouns “who” and “that.”  Most grammarians tell us that we use “that” for objects and we use “who” for people.  Thus, “The table that was next to the sofa was beautiful.”  But, “The woman who was next to the sofa was beautiful.”  For some odd reason, this confusion of “who” with “that,” and vice-versa, drives me crazy.  I am constantly making this correction in many manuscripts.  I’m sure this substitution happens in writing because most speakers today don’t bother discriminating between the two pronouns, and fluctuate back and forth between “who” and “that” without a moment’s thought. But I don’t understand! “Who” is a person and “that” is an object.  Can the writer not tell the difference between people and things? 

Of course, this leads to one of the most difficult of pronoun problems in cozy mystery editing, and that is the question of just what—or should I say “who”---is a person? If this sounds ridiculous, consider how we refer to animals (and there are a LOT of animals in cozy mysteries!). Is it “The cat who sat on the chair was purring,” or “The cat that sat on the chair was purring.”? Here’s how I deal with this issue:  if the cat is an actual “character” in the story, such that we see the cat act, react, and in some instances even have dialogue (mostly internal), I will allow, “The cat WHO sat on the chair, etc.  However, if the cat is merely the main character’s sidekick or pet, then I believe it is “The cat THAT sat on the chair,“ etc. What do you think? My guess is that those of you who are true animal lovers will vote for WHO and those of you who are not will vote THAT.  I am curious.

Despite your stand on this animal WHO or THAT issue, one thing I will not stand for is the mixing of the two pronouns for any one animal throughout the course of the book.  I find a lot of authors make this mistake.  On one page, the cat (or dog or horse, etc.) is merely a THAT, but as the story progresses and we (and maybe the author) become more attached to the animal, the creature suddenly becomes a WHO!

For those of you who write (and read), what is your preference for the correct pronoun to use for animals? Why? Does it bother you when an author refers to animal as “that” rather than “who”?

Let me know your thoughts!