Syntax

Syntax: Where/When/In Which

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Commonly Confused Words Logical Transition Examples Punctuation Syntax Word Choice

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Was Jones a case where the plaintiff was found not guilty by reason of insanity? Or would in which be clearer?

Where:

Where should be used to refer to a specific location or place, or to refer to an issue in which the location matters (e.g., jurisdiction): “The jurisdiction where this case was heard was within the Ninth Circuit.”

When:

When should be used to refer to a specific moment in time or event: “That was the moment when the court rendered its decision.”

In Which:

In which should be used to refer to a circumstance or context. Thus, it is a better choice for referring to the details of a case: “That was the case in which the plaintiff was found not guilty by reason of insanity.”

Rule: If emphasizing TIME, use “when”; if emphasizing LOCATION, use “where”; if emphasizing CONTEXT, use “in which.”

And to make sure that you know when to use each of these words, here are a few practice problems!

2

1 / 5

1. Which word is correct for the underlined portion of the following sentence? It exemplified a corporate era where financialization too often eclipsed production.

A. where

B. of which

C. in which

D. which

E. None of the above

2 / 5

2. In the next sentence, which of the underlined words or phrases, if any, has an error? The consultant’s suggestion included a plan where each of the departments was to reduce its expenses by holding a contest soliciting ideas on how to do so.

A. where

B. was

C. by holding

D. so

E. None of the above

3 / 5

3. In the next sentence, which of the underlined words or phrases, if any, has an error? Under one scenario, the combined effects of business uncertainty and a weaker pound would be likely to cut the economy’s growth rate (compared with a situation where Britain had voted to remain in the EU) by 1-2 percentage points in the next 12 months, with the worst impact coming in the second half of this year.

A. would be likely to

B. with

C. where Britain

D. with the worst

E. None of the above

4 / 5

4. In the next sentence, which of the underlined words or phrases, if any, has an error? The hundredth monkey effect, a controversial theory popularized by Lawrence Blair and Lyall Watson in the 1970s, a phenomenon in which one group adopts rapidly a new behavior or idea after a critical mass of the members of another group—in the eponymous case, about 100 macaque monkeys on a single island that all learned to wash sweet potatoes—exhibit that same behavior.

A. a phenomenon in which a new behavior or idea adopted by one group rapidly after

B. a phenomenon where a new behavior or idea is rapidly adopted by one group after

C. is a phenomenon in which a new behavior or idea is rapidly adopted by one group once

D. is a phenomenon where one group rapidly adopts a new behavior or idea following

E. None of the above

5 / 5

5. In the next sentence, which of the underlined words or phrases, if any, has an error? Cloture, a Senate procedure used when attempting to bring a matter to vote, causes a limitation where further consideration of a given proposal to no more than thirty hours.

A. Senate

B. when

C. bring a matter

D. where

E. None of the above

Your score is

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Commonly Confused Words Logical Transition Examples Punctuation Syntax Word Choice

Syntax: Where/When/In Which

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Where:

When:

In Which:

Rule: If emphasizing TIME, use “when”; if emphasizing LOCATION, use “where”; if emphasizing CONTEXT, use “in which.”

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