Grammar: Relative Clauses
B2 Lesson 3: Using 'where' & 'when'
Why It Matters: Creating Flow
Relative clauses add extra information to a sentence. Using them correctly helps you connect ideas and avoid short, choppy sentences.
That is the café. We met at the café last week.
That is the café where we met last week.
The Grammar Rules 📖
Rule 1: Use 'where' to Describe Places
Use the relative pronoun where to give more information about a place (e.g., a city, a house, a restaurant).
- Battambang is the city where I grew up.
- Let's go to the café where we met last week.
Rule 2: Use 'when' to Describe Times
Use the relative pronoun when to give more information about a time or a specific event (e.g., a year, a day, an era).
- I'll never forget the day when I graduated from university.
- 2015 was the year when my family moved to this house.
💡 B2 Expansion: Using Prepositions + 'which'
Using 'where' and 'when' is common and natural. However, in formal and academic writing, we can express the same idea using a preposition + which.
'where' = 'in which' / 'at which'
"This is the house where I live."
→ "This is the house in which I live." (More formal)
'when' = 'on which' / 'in which' / 'at which'
"That was the day when we won."
→ "That was the day on which we won." (More formal)
Practice Your Grammar 🎯
Exercise 1: Choose the Right Word
Choose the best word to complete each sentence.
- The restaurant _______ we had dinner last night was excellent.
→ Answer: where - Do you remember the time _______ we got lost in the countryside?
→ Answer: when - That is the old building _______ the famous artist used to live. (Use the formal alternative)
→ Answer: in which - The Khmer New Year is a time _______ families get together to celebrate.
→ Answer: when
Your Grammar Mission ⭐
Rewrite the Sentences
Combine or rewrite these sentences using the target relative pronoun.
- Combine with 'where': "This is the village. My family has lived in this village for generations."
→ This is the village where my family has lived for generations. - Combine with 'when': "I love April. The Khmer New Year happens in April."
→ I love April, when the Khmer New Year happens. - Rewrite using a formal structure: "That was the summer when I learned to swim."
→ That was the summer in which I learned to swim.
Key Vocabulary
- Relative Clause A clause which gives more information about a noun, often starting with who, which, where, or when.
- Formal Used in serious, official, or academic situations.
- Era A long and distinct period of history.
- Preposition A word that connects a noun to another word (e.g., in, at, on, for).