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Hrsanei Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

The difference between which and where as relative pronouns

Hi.
I would be grateful if you expert teachers could help me in teaching where and which as relative pronouns in relative clauses.

I cannot explain when we should use which or where as a relative pronoun for places.

Ex. Boulder ,which is at the foothills of the Rocky mountain, is a small city with population of about 90,000 people.

I cannot explain why which should be used instead of where as a relative pronoun of a place.

I myself feel at ease while I am using them. but I find it difficult to make my students understood. My explanation is that, we use which because it is the subject of adjectival clause. Am I right? Is there any better way to explain this?

Thanks for your time and help
  

Top answer

hrsanei My explanation is that, we use which because it is the subject of adjectival clause. Am I right? Is there any better way to explain this?

— Cool Breeze

  • hrsanei My explanation is that, we use which because it is the subject of adjectival clause.
  • Am I right?
  • Is there any better way to explain this?
  • You are right.
  • The relative pronouns which, that and who can act as the subject of a relative clause whereas where can't.
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9 Answers
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hrsaneiMy explanation is that, we use which because it is the subject of adjectival clause. Am I right? Is there any better way to explain this?
You are right. The relative pronouns which, that and who can act as the subject of a relative clause whereas where can't.

This is Boulder,
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Thank you very much Cool Breeze.
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I was looking for an answer about the same question thank you for your explanations . But I saw a sentence in a gramlar book " We stayed at the park hotel ,which a friend of mine had recommended" Which is not the subject ofadjective clause here, I think . How do you explain this? Thank you in advence.
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AnonymousI was looking for an answer about the same question thank you for your explanations . But I saw a sentence in a gramlar book " We stayed at the park hotel ,which a friend of mine had recommended" Which is not the subject ofadjective clause here, I think . How do you explain this? Thank you in advence.
Which is the direct object of the verb h
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AnonymousWe stayed at the park hotel ,which a friend of mine had recommended
'where' can't replace an object either. A friend of mine had recommended it (the Park Hotel).

CJ
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Hi,
Related but irrelevant to the original question, in the sentence "We stayed at the park hotel, which a friend of mine had recommended" , my impression is that, if we remove the name of the hotel, "park", we are changing the relative clause from "non- defining" to the "defining" one, so we could say;

We stayed at the hotel (which) a friend of mine had recommended.

Let m
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hrsaneiif we remove the name of the hotel, "park", we are changing the relative clause from "non- defining" to the "defining" one
Correct. After thinking about it, I believe it's the name of a specific hotel, so it should be the Park Hotel. It's not often you have a non-defining clause after a proper noun.

CJ
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We use 'which' when we make a description, but 'when' when there is an activity described.

For example:

Istanbul is a beautiful city, which has many historical places. (description)

Istanbul is a city where you can have lots of fun. (activity)

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Where is an adverb

Which is a pronoun

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