A language issue (comment)

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@SFU.CA>]

I wrote, inter alia:

> ... the diver took off with the same angular momentum which she
> exhibited in her tightest tuck.

I have an annoying grammatical problem. I frequently misuse "which"
and "that". This is a particularly confusing case. Of course what I
should have said is that "The diver took off with the same angular
momentum that she exhibited in her tightest tuck." Alternatively I
could have left the questionable word out of the sentence with no
loss of meaning: "The diver took off with the same angular momentum
she exhibited in her tightest tuck." Perhaps that is even better; I
don't know. I considered and rejected inserting the word "exactly"
before "the same", though I might well use it when teaching. I knew
it would not be prudent to use it here.

I think I'm too old to understand the nuances here, but as I
originally wrote the clause, it was jarring to reread. That "which"
just doesn't seem to belong, and it is distracting, to me at least.
I tried to read Fowler's on this issue but it is too difficult for
me to follow. I do get the idea that the issue is confused, and
that hard rules are difficult to formulate in this case.

It is certainly important that we be sensitive to language in our
teaching. I am curious about others' opinions on the clarity of the
particular clause under scrutiny here, but I do not wish to ignite
a firestorm of grammarian-antigrammarian rage.

Leigh