in which

Question

Which one of the following examples are correct.
If it is, could you please explain it ?

Spring and Autumn are the seasons in which i like the best.

or

Spring and autumn are the seasons that i like best

Thanks

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

tuvaletSpring and autumn are the seasons that i like best

That one is OK if you use a capital letter for I and end the sentence with a full stop (period).

WeaselADAPT · Answer

The second sentence is grammatically correct while the first sentence is not. This is why:

The way you are using "best" is as an adverb. It modifies or qualifies the verb "like." HOW do I like them? I like them BEST! To say "I like them THE best" is like saying "I run the swiftly."

Moreover, the reason "the" is so out of place before "best" in this sense is because "the" is a definite article and definite articles are only to be used to precede nouns or noun phrases...and here "best" is an adverb.

You could put "the" before "best" if you said, "Spring and Autumn are the best seasons," because in that case, "best" would be part of a noun phrase – an adjective modifying the plural noun "seasons" – and as such, it could be preceded by the definite article, "the."

In the first sentence, "in which" is also not correct. You could say "Spring and Autumn are the seasons IN WHICH I like to run," but not just, "...in which I like." Here, "that" is probably the best relative pronoun to use. So, for this reason, too, the second sentence is correct.

Also, you are use "spring" and "autumn" in their proper noun sense, so both should be capitalized. And as fivejedjon pointed out, you must capitalize all instances of the pronoun "I" and end this declarative sentence with a period.

Tuvalet · Answer

Thank you very much for this explanation.

BarbaraPA · Answer

We no longer capitalize the seasons. They are common nouns.

WeaselADAPT · Answer

Interesting.  Who is "we"?

BarbaraPA · Answer

"We" are native English speakers writing in the modern era following just about any of the commonly available styles guides.

Can you provide a link to any authoritative source that says in modern writing that they are capitalized in English?

Here are just a few links (I love the OWL at Purdue) that say not to:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/592/01/
http://www.write.com/writing-guides/general-writing/miscellaneous/when-to-capitalize-seasons/
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/when-to-capitalize-seasons

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/capitals.htm

WeaselADAPT · Answer

Thank you.

I really hate it when the whole world dumbs down in the name of progress and convention just because too many people aren't well educated to follow the rules. How we can now use "over" instead of "more than."

In this case, I suspect it was too many people trying to capitalize it in these kind of situations:

The winter season allows for many snow related sports.
My favorite flowers bloom in the spring.
This summer’s heat wave lasted over a month.
We often take long drives to look at autumn foliage.

Oh well. Thanks for telling me the world moved on again...

Fivejedjon · Answer

WeaselADAPTI really hate it when the whole world dumbs down in the name of progress and convention just because too many people aren't well educated to follow the rules.

Yea, verily, methynks thou woldeste have us all writen in somme bettere Wyse.

WeaselADAPT · Answer

Verily!

Blue Jay · Answer

fivejedjonYea, verily, methynks thou woldeste have us all writen in somme bettere Wyse.

H?æt? Þæt is ofer-niwe. Ænglisc for-wiexeþ

in which

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions