a family who vs a family which

Both 'a family who' and 'a family which' are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'A family who' is used when referring to people within a family, while 'a family which' is used when referring to the family as a unit or entity.

Last updated: March 30, 2024 • 2966 views

This phrase is correct when referring to people within a family.

"a family who"

Use 'a family who' when you are talking about the individuals within a family.

Examples:

I know a family who lives down the street.
The family who owns the bakery is very friendly.
She comes from a family who values education.
A family who sticks together is a strong family.
The family who won the contest was very excited.

Show examples from the web [+]

I have a full life and a family who needs me.
And I know a family who's paying top dollar.
With a family who loves you.
It's rare to find a family who gets on.
I have a family who depends on me.
She had a family who loved her.
Miss Ellaby's job, as moral welfare worker, is to place baby with a family who can provide the life you want for him.
Listen, Carla, I have a family who loves me, a handful of close friends and a wonderful hobby shop in my basement.
They were just a family who hadn't done any harm to anybody.
In the meantime I got a family who needs the Internet right away.
We can give some closure to a family who lost a daughter All those years ago.
Kimble said Phillip Kellian came from a family who owned some famous, old knife company in Europe.
I myself come from a family who - collectively innocent - on the basis of state decrees 50 years ago, were expelled.
You have a family who fights for you.
He had servants to answer any whim, and he had a family who loved him deeply.
I met also a family who have married the local people here, and so this is what is happening.
Show the Florricks as a family who had their troubles but stuck together, came out stronger.
We have a family who wants to lease the place for a year.
I have a family who counts on me, so I take care of myself by going to the doctor regularly... exercising...
Once upon a time In Amsterdam during the German occupation There lived a family who owned pigeons.

Alternatives:

a family that
families who
those families who
the family who
my family who

This phrase is correct when referring to the family as a unit or entity.

"a family which"

Use 'a family which' when you are talking about the family as a whole or as a singular entity.

Examples:

The house belongs to a family which has lived there for generations.
A family which is united can overcome any challenge.
She comes from a family which has a long history of entrepreneurship.
The family which moved in next door seems very nice.
A family which values tradition will often celebrate holidays together.

Show examples from the web [+]

As a Dutch person, born in a family which suffered badly from the effects of the Second World War, I am genuinely pleased that I can express my delight here today at Germany's reunification.
I say this as the son of a family which had to abandon its own property in the former Yugoslavia, in what is now the Republic of Croatia.
I personally come from a family which endured 40 years of exile - the same as the duration of Francoism - and if we learned anything at all it was that no political objective was worth the life of a single human being.
A family which has done much for the city and the nation.
Nevertheless, there must be a clear preference for a family which includes a father and a mother.
A woman that could go through so much to get me with her back in a family which got kids, which seem a fam...
The bones of a family which remained in Kyreneia - which is still under the Turkish yoke - have also been identified: they were unable to flee because their two children were handicapped.
At least you have a family which cares about you.

Alternatives:

a family that
families which
those families which
the family which
my family which

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a family who vs a family which

"a family who"

"a family which"

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