agencies who vs agencies which

Both 'agencies who' and 'agencies which' are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Agencies who' is used when referring to agencies as if they were people, emphasizing the human aspect. On the other hand, 'agencies which' is used when referring to agencies as inanimate objects or entities.

Last updated: March 24, 2024 • 1085 views

agencies who

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to agencies as if they were people.

Use 'agencies who' when referring to agencies as if they were people, emphasizing the human aspect.

Examples:

Agencies who provide support to the community are essential.
I appreciate agencies who work tirelessly to protect the environment.

Show examples from the web [+]

There's an alphabet soup of agencies who want him.
The ships are inspected on a commercial basis and by agencies who are in competition with one another and who fear that they will lose their customers if they are too strict.
Here is an example of one of these debt-collecting agencies who put this note through my office door in Chester in the United Kingdom: 'Do you owe money?
In fact it is the national agencies who are responsible.
And I want to thank the outside agencies who participated in this manhunt.
There's an alphabet soup of agencies who want him.
Heads of national agencies who are not members of the Board will be invited to attend when issues of common interest are discussed.
I have one regret: I would have preferred them to be checked by the agencies who recruit these experts, but this amendment was not adopted.
It is particularly important that the European Union remains in close touch with the aid agencies who are working in northern Albania.
These documents, classified as confidential, ended up in the hands of certain journalists and leaders of Community agencies who were involved in a dispute with the European Commission.
Does it have any data on the percentage of workers in these Community agencies who exercise the option of teleworking? -
More should have been done by the Commission and National Government Agencies who are responsible for Vocational Education Training (VET) to ensure that qualifications reflect what tasks are actually done in business.
One last point: I am opposed to the inflammatory ideas expressed by news agencies who say that the Commission is no longer required.
That's two agencies who'll be pouring through your logbooks, your car's GPS, your phone records, your bank accounts, looking for the dead girl's DNA in your car.
The next step is to reinforce the resources at Europol and set it to work: no new bureaucracy, no duplication, no more foot-dragging from European intelligence agencies who do not like to play with others.
An unnamed agency who will never confirm or deny.
We're the only government agency who can.
Sophie, this is the guy from the agency who just came by to verify that Lester actually lives here.
There are a lot of people at the agency who are embarrassed that he crossed the border without us knowing.
They're going to want to protect everyone in the agency who's working against us on Afghanistan.

Alternatives:

organizations who
companies who
groups who
institutions who
teams who

agencies which

This phrase is correct and commonly used when referring to agencies as inanimate objects or entities.

Use 'agencies which' when referring to agencies as inanimate objects or entities.