Of which, in which

Question

This is the house. I lived in the house.

1. This is the house. I lived in which.

2. This is the house. Which I lived in.

3. This is the house which I lived in.

4. This is the house in which I lived.

This is understandable to me.

There are few things of which we are apt to be so wasteful as time.

1. If I change it to 2 sentences, is it like 'There are few things. We are apt to be so wasteful of few things as time.' ?

2. Is there is a easier way to explain such relative clauses?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

This is the house. I lived in the house.
1. This is the house. I lived in which.
2. This is the house. Which I lived in.
3. This is the house which I lived in.
4. This is the house in which I lived.
This is understandable to me.-- Well, I don't. #1 and #2 are not English. #3 would naturally use 'that' or more usually no conjunction: 'This is the house (that) I lived in'.

There are few things of which we are apt to be so wasteful as time.

1. If I change it to 2 sentences, is it like 'There are few things. We are apt to be so wasteful of few things as time.' ? -- ?? -- We are apt to be wasteful of time. There are few things we are apt to be more wasteful of.

2. Is there is a easier way to explain such relative clauses?-- I frankly don't know what you are trying to explain, but I suspect that you are confusing your students. You are certainly confusing me.

Moon7296 · Answer

Hi,

Thank you for reading my confusing question with patience.

Sentences 1,2,3,4 are a process how 'of which' is put in place from 'This is the house. I lived in the house'.

I know it is more natural to put 'that' instead of 'of which' in the sentence.

I introduced the 1,2,3,4 process to ask a similar question: 'of which' below.

------- There are few things of which we are apt to be so wasteful as time. ----------

Q1. If I chop the sentence into 2 sentences like 'This is the house. I lived in the house' one, is it like There are few things. We are apt to be so wasteful of few things as time?

What I do is just follow the 1,2,3,4 process to see how relative pronouns such as of which, in which or on which are placed..

Someone uses that process to explain those relative pronouns.

Q2. Is there another way or easier way to explain those relative pronouns?

p.s) I'm not teaching students but preparing to be someday

; I ask many here and there to make myself understood when I become a teacher.

Mister Micawber · Answer

Well, all I can suggest is that you abandon steps 1 and 2, which are confusing and misleading, since they are not real, and stick with steps 3 and 4, which are all you need.

This is the house. I lived in this house.

3. This is the house which I lived in.
4. This is the house in which I lived.

Of which, in which

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