At least this change makes sense - using “that”/“which” instead of “who” would sometimes remove and never add ambiguity, if I’ve thought it through right.
Perhaps, but it’s a sore subject with me, because in one of the first newspaper columns I ever wrote, my boss criticized me for using “people that.” I haven’t used it since, in writing at least.
I have a co-worker who only uses “that,” or should I say, a co-worker that only uses “that.” It just grates on my nerves, that’s all.
How about the misuse of “less” and “fewer”? While I’m at it, the constant use of “highly” where “very” would be more appropriate jangles my elderly nerves something awful.
If your habit is to type sloppily and not proofread and correct, then you will do the same when it does matter, or you will be so out of practice that you won’t even recognize the mistakes you’re making. Grammatical/spelling/punctuation skills are like anything else; the more you practice, the better you get.
The only way we communicate on a message board like this one is by the written word. When your communication is limited, I would suggest that it is in everyone’s interest to make that communication as accurate and precise as possible to minimize miscommunication.
