#124 - Relative Adverbs - English Grammar

Relative adverbs are used to indicate where something happened, when something happened, how something happened, or why something happened. The words "where", "when", "how", and "why" act as adverbs when they connect sentences or clauses.

Relative Adverbs

When joining two sentences or clauses.

Sentence or clause	Sentence or clause	Sentence using relative adverb
This is the park.	I used to play at this park.	This is the park where I used to play.
This is the restaurant.	We met for the first time.	This is the restaurant where we met for the first time.
I remember the day.	We first met.	I remember the day when we first met.
It was a snowy night.	Our baby was born.	It was a very cold winter the year when our son was born.
Give me a good reason.	Why do you want to quit?	Give me a good reason why you want to quit.
Do you know the reason?	Why is Sally upset?	Do you know the reason why Sally is upset?
Please tell me	How do you do this?	Please tell me how you do this.
Did you figure it out?	How does that work?	Did you figure out how that works?

Relative Adverbs

Relative adverbs can replace the formal form of "preposition + which". They have the same meanings, but sentences with relative adverbs are more commonly used.

Formal form	Relative adverb form
In which	Where
At which	Where
In which	When
On which	When
For which	Why
The way in which	How

This is the park at which I used to play. This is the park where I used to play.
This is the restaurant in which we met for the first time. This is the restaurant where we met for the first time.
I remember the day on which we first met. I remember the day when we first met.
It was a very cold winter the year in which our son was born. It was a very cold winter the year when our son was born.
Give me a good reason for which you want to quit. Give me a good reason why you want to quit.
Please tell me the way in which you do this. Please tell me how to you do this.