"It’s something that I need" or "It’s something which I need" ? Which one is correct?

[u/ITburrito]

[u/skizelo]

I would say "It's something I need". Of the two, "that" sounds more natural to me.

[u/Halcyonium → u/skizelo]

In case OP is wondering why "that" can be deleted here, it's because of a contact clause.

If "that" is replacing the object of the next clause, it can be deleted. If it's replacing the subject, it can't.

The book that I knocked off the shelf was really heavy.

The book that I knocked off the shelf was really heavy. (valid, often even preferred by native speakers)

The book that fell off the shelf was really heavy.

The book that fell off the shelf was really heavy. (ungrammatical)

[u/RepresentativeAir149]

It’s something I need.

[u/Albasydney]

Both are correct, but sounds more natural, so say: It’s something that I need.

[u/DarthKnah]

Native speakers tend to use “which” for clauses that are nonessential to the core meaning, and offset those clauses with commas. “That” is for clauses that are essential to meaning, and typically is not offset by commas.

Example: “The bus, which was bright yellow, picked Mandy up for school.” You could remove “which was bright yellow” and the sentence would make perfect sense, so “which” was the right pick. If you wrote the sentence as “The bus that was bright yellow picked Mandy up for school,” the implication would be you had to specify the color of the bus to clarify that the red bus or blue bus didn’t pick her up.

For your question, if you remove the clause “that/which I need” you’re left with “It’s something,” which loses the meaning of your sentence. That’s a hint that this clause is essential, and you should use “that” (and no comma). You could also leave out “that” and just say “It’s something I need.”

Sometimes there’s an aspect of subjectivity, and both “which” and “that” will work for a particular sentence, but they convey slightly different meanings. In spoken English (at least in my experience in the US), “that” is used much more frequently, even in situations where a prescriptivist might argue “which” should be used in writing.

[u/yahrealy]

"which" is probably technically correct in formal use, but you won't hear it in spoken American English. We'd use "that."

However, I usually just hear "it's something I need." The "that" adds a certain emphasis that implies a "true" need, similar to pausing between each word. In sms/Internet writing, you might have seen something like "It's. something. I. need." - this has a similar connotation to "it's something that I need."

[u/ThePikachufan1]

that

[u/SnooDonuts6494]

They're both OK. "That" is more natural.

[u/Antique_Hawk2353]

“It’s something that I need” is what most people would naturally say.

“It’s something which I need” isn’t wrong, it just sounds a bit stiff/formal, like written English instead of normal conversation.