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Believer Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

in which and where

Hi,

I think more often than not you can replace "in which" with "where" in typical sentences and the two sentences below will show that to be the case. Do you have some useful tips to know when such a replacement is good and when not? Do I have to learn to distinguish by being exposed to similar situations over and over again?

She had planned a lesson in which (where is OK too??) she enlarged some photographs.

According to the Collins Cobuild Compact English Learner's Dictionary:

Boxing is a sport in which (where OK??) two people wearing padded gloves fight, using only their hands.

Sorry, this question just came up. For the first sentence would it change its meaning if I made a past perfect out of the underlined clause part too?

She had planned a lession in which she enlarged (had enlarged OK??) some photographs.

I don't see the need to make a past perfect but cannot lay out the reason (or reasons) why it shouldn't be done.
  

Top answer

The way I see both 'in which' and 'where' could be used alike. As for the Past Perfect thingy, Simple Past is the right choice. Sorry I can't provide any theoretical back-up other than saying it sounded more natural.

  • The way I see both 'in which' and 'where' could be used alike.
  • As for the Past Perfect thingy, Simple Past is the right choice.
  • Sorry I can't provide any theoretical back-up other than saying it sounded more natural.
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1 Answers
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The way I see both 'in which' and 'where' could be used alike.

As for the Past Perfect thingy, Simple Past is the right choice. Sorry I can't provide any theoretical back-up other than saying it sounded more natural.

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