Preposition placement in relative adverb

Question

When and where can introduce relative clauses after nouns referring to timeand place. They are used in the same way as preposition + which.I'll never forget the day when I first met you. (= ... the day on which )Do you know a shop where I can find sandals? (= ... a shop at which )Why is used in a similar way after reason.Do you know the reason why she doesn't like me? (= ... the reason forwhich ... ) Above extracted from Michael Swan Book on relative adverb.I don’t know which preposition we should use .Do we use preposition related to the ‘verb’ in the clause or to the ‘noun’ in the clause? How can we use the right prepositionn?(meet on …) or (the day on …)And why do we use ‘in which’ here? How can we know to use ‘in’ instead of other preposition?There are also others examples that don't make sense to me.a visit in which you pay to stay in someone’s house rather than in a hotel.That picture was taken in the park at which I used to play.That picture was taken in the park where I used to play.The seat where we sat last Saturday is still free.Thanks for any help.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Mickey Mouse 8241Do we use preposition related to the ‘verb’ in the clause or to the ‘noun’ in the clause?

Use the preposition related to the preceding noun if you use a preposition with which.

on that day > the day on which ...
at that shop > the shop at which ...

Mickey Mouse 8241There are also others examples that don't make sense to me. a visit in which you pay to stay in someone’s house rather than in a hotel.

That one is a bit strange, I agree. in a visit doesn't sound right. Let's say it's a bad example.
___________

It's not clear what you want to know about those last few sentences.

CJ

Mickey Mouse 8241 · Answer

Thanks for your reply.

That picture was taken in the park at which I used to play.

That picture was taken in the park where I used to play.

How we know to use 'at' instead of 'other preposition'?
Should we only consult a good dictionary?

The seat where we sat last Saturday is still free.

You asked about my last few sentences.
I just want to know how can we know which preposition is more suitable?
For example in the following , I don't know which one fit best?

The seat in/on/at which we sat last Saturday is still free.

CalifJim · Answer

Mickey Mouse 8241That picture was taken in the park at which I used to play.

=
That picture was taken in the park. I used to play at that park.

You can use any preposition that makes sense and is grammatical. For example, it's OK to say I used to play at that park and I used to play in that park. So you can also use this.

That picture was taken in the park. I used to play in that park.
>
That picture was taken in the park in which I used to play.

Mickey Mouse 8241For example, in the following I don't know which one fits best. The seat in/on/at which we sat last Saturday is still free.

In the given context, it's OK to say any of these:

We sat in that seat.
We sat on that seat.
We sat at that seat.

So you can use any of those prepositions.

The seat [in / on / at] which we sat last Saturday ....

When they give you examples in a book, they only give you one preposition as an illustration, but that doesn't mean it's the only preposition that is possible.

CJ

Mickey Mouse 8241 · Answer

Thanks CalifJim. Thanks for your parience during our conversation. You are a great gift for this forum and English learners.

Preposition placement in relative adverb

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