Lesson 102 · Stage 9: Linking ideas
Relative clauses with whose / where / when
IntermediateForm & use
whose + noun, the place where…, the day when…, the reason why… — more ways to describe a noun
1.Overview
Besides who / which / that, a few other relative words help you describe a noun more neatly. Each one replaces a familiar part of the sentence.
| Word | Replaces | Example |
|---|---|---|
| whose | his / her / its / their (possession) | a student whose phone was stolen |
| where | in / at / to + that place | the café where we met |
| when | on / in / at + that time | the year when I left school |
| why | a reason (after the reason) | the reason why she left |
| whom | a person as object (formal) | the person to whom I spoke |
These clauses can also be defining (no commas) or non-defining (with commas), just like in the lesson “Relative clauses”.
2.Whose — belonging to that person or thing
Whose + noun replaces the possessive his / her / its / their. A noun always follows whose. It is mostly used for people, but it also works for things, companies, cities…
I have a classmate whose mother runs a pho restaurant.
whose mother = his/her mother
We met a couple whose kids go to the same school as ours.
It's a small company whose products are sold all over Asia.
Mr Hai, whose son I used to teach, still sends me mangoes every summer.
Whose and who's sound the same /huːz/ but mean different things: who's = who is / who has. If “who is” fits, write who's; if the meaning is “belonging to”, write whose.
3.Where — the place in which
Where follows a noun for a place (house, city, café, shop…) and means in / at which. There are three ways to say the same thing:
That's the house where I grew up. = That's the house I grew up in.
also: the house which I grew up in
Do you know a place where we can park for free?
Where or which? Look at what follows the gap. If the clause already has a full subject + verb (+ object), use where. If the clause is missing its subject or its object, use which / that.
Hoi An is a town where you can walk everywhere.
you can walk is complete → where
Hoi An is a town which attracts millions of visitors.
attracts has no subject → which
Hoi An is a town I'd love to visit again.
visit has no object → which/that or nothing, not where
Where can also follow nouns for a situation or stage: a situation where…, a point where…, a stage where….
4.When and why
When follows a noun for time (day, year, time, moment, month…). Why follows the reason. In speech both are often left out or replaced by that.
I'll never forget the moment when I first saw the sea.
Saturday is the only day when I can sleep in.
Do you remember the year we moved to Saigon?
when left out
The reason why I'm late is that my bike had a flat tyre.
The traffic was terrible. That's why we missed the start.
For time use when, not where: the day when we met (not: the day where…). Native speakers often say “The reason is because…”, but in formal writing “The reason is that…” is safer.
5.Whom, prepositions and some of whom
Whom is the object form of who, used in formal writing. In everyday English people use who or nothing, and put the preposition at the end. Directly after a preposition, use only whom / which — not who or that.
| Formal | Everyday |
|---|---|
| the person to whom I spoke | the person (who) I spoke to |
| the colleague with whom she works | the colleague (who) she works with |
| the hotel at which we stayed | the hotel (that) we stayed at / the hotel where we stayed |
In a clause with commas you can use quantity + of + whom / which: some of whom, most of which, both of whom, none of which….
I have three cousins, two of whom live in Australia.
We tried four cafés, most of which were full.
6.Common mistakes
That's the singer who's songs I love.That's the singer whose songs I love.
Who's = who is; for possession use whose.
I have a friend whose his father is a pilot.I have a friend whose father is a pilot.
Whose already replaces his.
This is the village which I was born.This is the village where I was born. / …which I was born in.
Which needs the preposition in; where doesn't.
We stayed at a resort where has its own beach.We stayed at a resort which has its own beach.
Has needs a subject → which / that.
Do you remember the day where we met?Do you remember the day when we met?
Use when for time.
The woman to who I spoke was very helpful.The woman to whom I spoke… / The woman I spoke to…
After a preposition use whom.
Examples
- I have a friend whose father is a famous chef.
- This is the café where we first met.
- I'll never forget the day when my son was born.
- The girl whose bag was stolen went to the police.
