Introduction
Pronouns are words used to avoid repetitions of a noun {see Pronouns – Subject, A1 Level}.
Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses. They refer to place and time by replacing the subject expressed in the main clause to avoid the repetition of it in the relative clauses {see Pronouns – Relative, A1 Level}.
Form
Relative pronouns where and when come after nouns.
Example
- Where
- This is the shopping centre where I bought a gift for my mom.
- It is the butcher’s where my brother worked.
- This is the hotel where we stayed during our trip.
- When
- I can’t forget the day when my dad opened our bakery.
- The winter when I started working as a shop assistant was cold.
- The day when the hairdresser died was my birthday.
Use
Where and when are used to introduce relative clauses. We use:
- Where to discover the place of the action described in a sentence;
- When to find out the time of the action described in a sentence.
Summary
Relative pronouns where (place) and when (time) are used to introduce relative clauses, and to avoid repeating the subject of the main clause in the relative clauses. They are used after nouns.
For example:
— “I work in London, where 8 million people live.” = Where refers to London (place).
— “I worked in London last summer, when you were in the countryside.” = When refers to the working period in London (time).
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.