English Club: Free English Learning Basic To Advanced.

Using Whose and...... :: Go to Main Page

Using Whose
Whose is used to show possession. It has the same meaning as other possessive adjectives such as his, hers, its, their, etc.
--There's the man whose house we bought.
--I have a book whose story is fascinating.
Whose modifies people but can also be used with things.
You should learn how to combine short sentences using whose:
--The woman is a talented artist. I saw her paintings.
-- The woman whose paintings I saw is a talented artist.

Using Where
Earlier in this course, you learned how to use where in questions:
--Where are you going?
Where can also be used in a dependent clause:
--I see the house where they live.
In the latter example, where is used to refer to a place, such as a city, state, country, room, etc.
NOTE: In dependent clauses, where can be replaced with in which, which ... in, that ... in, or nothing at all:
--The building where they work is new.
--The building in which they work is new.
--The building, which they work in, is new.
--The building that they work in is new.
--The building they work in is new.

Using When
Previously, you learned how to use when in questions:
--When are you leaving?
When can also be used in a dependent clause:
--I forgot the date when you arrived.
In the latter example, when is used to refer to a noun of time (i.e., a day, week, month, etc.)
I n time clauses, it is also possible to use that or which preceded by a preposition:
--I forgot the date that you arrived.
--I forgot the date on which you arrived.
No preposition is needed with that.
Note how two sentences are combined using when:
--I'll always remember the day she was born. She was born then (on that day).
--I'll always remember the day when she was born.

If.... Then Constructions
A frequent pattern in English is the use of constructions with if followed by a clause of result (then, either stated or implied):
--If you take Interstate 85, (then) you'll get there faster.

In this kind of sentence the if clause introduces a hypothetical statement. When the if clause is in the present tense, the result (then) clause is in the future:
--If it becomes (present) any hotter, we'll have to go (future) swimming.
--I'll send (future) you some money, if you need it (present).

Now you have seen the if (present tense), then (future tense) pattern. Here are two other sequences:
-- If (past tense), then (conditional tense)
-- If (past perfect), then (past conditional)
--If I had (past) more time, I would read (conditional) this book.
--They would have won (past conditional) the race, if they had run (past perfect) faster.

NOTE: When you use the verb to be after if, were not was is the preferred form:
--If he were younger, he would ski every day.