How to Use “With Which” in a Sentence

The term “with which” is often misused by non-natives and natives alike. The term “with which” may be a little confusing, so this page sets out exactly when to use it and how not to use it.

How to Use “With Which” in a Sentence

The term “with which” can be used in all types of sentences and combines a preposition and pronoun. The term “which” refers to another object or concept mentioned in the sentence. For example, “The manner with which you greet your family is shameful.”

with which

The term “with which” is grammatically correct and can be used in the four main sentence types, simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.

It is often used to avoid having the preposition “with” appear at the end of a sentence.

Here are examples of the four sentence types containing “with which”:

  • Mary arrived with a blanket with which she wrapped herself. – Simple
  • Mary arrived with a blanket, so she had something with which to wrap herself. – Compound
  • Mary arrived with a blanket, although she left it in the station and had nothing with which to wrap herself.  – Complex
  • Mary had a blanket with which she wrapped herself, but she lost the blanket in the station while she was organizing her suitcase. – Compound-Complex

Is “With Which” Grammatically Correct?

The term “with which” is grammatically correct and is commonly used in all types of sentences.

It is often used to avoid using “with” and the end of a sentence.

For example:

  • The program is something with which everyone can feel proud of their involvement.

Is better than:

  • The program is something which everyone can feel proud of their involvement with.

It also helps to make sentences flow better by combining the “with” and “which” rather than having them at separate points in the sentence.

For example:

  • She had a particular way of dealing with people with which everyone was charmed.
  • She had a particular way of dealing with people, which everyone was charmed with.
  • The new system with which you will be impressed is far more user-friendly.
  • The new system, which you will be impressed with, is far more user-friendly.

With Which or Which With?

Both terms “with which” and “which with” are correct, yet there are certain times when one is preferable over the other.

For example, to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition, you should use “with which.”

However, sometimes “which with” is more appropriate in other sentences. For example, if you are listing a new noun which affects the thing you referred to at the start of the sentence, you should use “which with.”

As shown in these examples:

Avoiding ending the sentence in a preposition

  • He had a tremendous intellect with which he defeated his opponents.
  • He had a tremendous intellect which he defeated his opponents with. – INCORRECT

Adding a new noun

  • She had a tremendous intellect, which with training and dedication, became even more impressive.
  • She had a tremendous intellect, with which training and dedication became even more impressive. – INCORRECT
  • She had a tremendous intellect, which training and dedication became even more impressive with. – INCORRECT

Conclusion

The term “with which” is perfectly correct and can be used in all four sentence types. It is often used to avoid using prepositions at the end of a sentence.

 Its function is to refer back to the noun or adjective mentioned in the earlier part of the sentence and to say that something was done “with” whatever “which” happens to be.