The place where or which

Question

(1) This is the place where I wanted to visit.          Is this a correct sentence?    Should it be like either   (2) This is the place that I wanted to visit.  Or     (3) This is the place which I wanted to visit.     Could you help me clarify it?    Thanks.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

All three are correct. 'place where' is the most commonly used.

See https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=the+place+where%2Cthe+place+which%2Cthe+place+that&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cthe%20place%20where%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cthe%20place%20which%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cthe%20place%20that%3B%2Cc0

CJ

BillJ · Answer

deborahjeong (1) This is the place where I wanted to visit. Is this a correct sentence? Should it be like either (2) This is the place that I wanted to visit. Or (3) This is the place which I wanted to visit. Could you help me clarify it? Thanks.

With the verb "visit", I'd go for "that" or "which", but not "where".

In examples like yours, relative "where" functions as an adjunct of place, where it has the prepositional meaning in/at/to some place.

For example, This is the place where you can relax = "This is place x; you can relax in place x, where the "in" component is contributed by "where" together with its locative meaning.

But "visit" takes a direct object, not a prepositional complement – you don't visit in/at/to some place, you simply visit it, which is why your first example sounds awkward. Grammatically, it is analysed as "This is place x"; "I wanted to visit to some place x", where the prepositional component "to" is superfluous. Which explains why it sounds awkward.

But no such problem arises with "that" or "which", since neither of them functions as locative adjunct; instead they function here as object. This is the place that/which I wanted to visit = "This is place x"; "I wanted to visit place x", which is fine.

The place where or which

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