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Can someone give me clear rules when to use "what" and when "which" in case of sentences like " which/what "
Examples:
"My access is arranged which/what saved a lot of time"
"Studies have shown that strawberries contains X which/what have alarmed scientists"
"I bought a car which/what will reduce my daily travel time."
Thanks.
You're trying to use "which" and "what" as a pronoun, to refer to the subject that precedes it.
However, "what" as a pronoun can only be used for interrogative reasons, to ask for information (i.e. in questions such as, "What is he doing?").
"Which" would work here, because it is used to refer to a specified antecedent (i.e. the subject of the sentence, such as "my success," "studies," and "a car").
Look at the dictionary definitions for what and which for more information.
When "which" or "what" is used as a question, "which" is normally preferred when the options are limited, "what" is preferred when the options are unlimited.
For example:
What car do you prefer? (Unlimited options)
Which car do you prefer, the Volvo or the Mercedes? (Limited options)
What can indeed function as a relative pronoun in nominal relative clauses, e.g. sentences like "I took what they offered me." One way to think of it is a less formal synonym of that which. E.g. I eat what I like = I eat that which I like. These examples are from Quirk's grammar.
More examples: https://www.englishgrammar.org/relative-pronoun/
