[Grammar] 'when' used as an adverbial clause of time or relative pronoun

[Joern Matthias]

Hi folks,

I know that 'when' is a relative pronoun, when it is used after 'time nouns' like day, month, year, occasion, moment, etc.

e.g I am looking forward to the day when my aunt from America will visit us.

or: I am looking forward to the moment when my holidays will start.

But with certain words, I am confused.

1) I know that my son will have a childhood when he experiences new ways of learning things.

Question: Is 'when' here a relative pronoun or an adverbial time clause if I just want it to be connected to 'a childhood'?

2) I am looking forward to my break, when I have/will have a cup of coffee and read my magazine.

Question: Is 'when' here used as a relative pronoun or an adverbial time clause and what tense would be correct
to use here in order to refer to the future- present tense or will future?

3) My father told me about his father's life(,) when he had to work very hard in a coal mine.

Question: Is 'when' here used as a relatve pronoun or an adverbial time clause and must there be a comma before 'when'?

4) I can hardly wait for my school holidays(,) when I visit/am going to visit my uncle in England.

Question: Is 'when' here used as a relative pronoun or an adverbial time clause? Must there be a comma before 'when'
and what tense would be correct to use here in order to refer to the future-present tense or going to future?

5) My daughter will certainly have a career when she earns a lot of money as a CEO.

Question: Is 'when' here used as a relative pronoun or an adverbial time clause if I just want it to be connected to 'a career'?

A big hello from Germany

Jörn

 

[MikeNewYork]

Hi folks,

I know that 'when' is a relative pronoun, when it is used after 'time nouns' like day, month, year, occasion, moment, etc.

e.g I am looking forward to the day when my aunt from America will visit us.

or: I am looking forward to the moment when my holidays will start.

But with certain words, I am confused.

1) I know that my son will have a childhood when he experiences new ways of learning things.

Question: Is 'when' here a relative pronoun or an adverbial time clause if I just want it to be connected to 'a childhood'?

2) I am looking forward to my break, when I have/will have a cup of coffee and read my magazine.

Question: Is 'when' here used as a relative pronoun or an adverbial time clause and what tense would be correct
to use here in order to refer to the future- present tense or will future?

3) My father told me about his father's life(,) when he had to work very hard in a coal mine.

Question: Is 'when' here used as a relatve pronoun or an adverbial time clause and must there be a comma before 'when'?

4) I can hardly wait for my school holidays(,) when I visit/am going to visit my uncle in England.

Question: Is 'when' here used as a relative pronoun or an adverbial time clause? Must there be a comma before 'when'
and what tense would be correct to use here in order to refer to the future-present tense or going to future?

5) My daughter will certainly have a career when she earns a lot of money as a CEO.

Question: Is 'when' here used as a relative pronoun or an adverbial time clause if I just want it to be connected to 'a career'?

A big hello from Germany

Jörn

First of all, we need to discuss the terminology or this will be very confusing. The word "when" is never a clause. It can be used to introduce clauses that discuss "time". Whether those clauses are "adverbial" or not depends on their uses in sentences. You referred to "where" as a relative pronoun. Some sources do use this terminology, but many (the majority I think) refer to it (along with where and why) as a relative adverb, to distinguish it from the relative pronouns "that", "which", and "who/whom/whose". Even though "when" clauses are introduced by a relative adverb, the clauses can function as adverbs, adjectives, or even nouns.

1. I am looking forward to the day when my aunt from America will visit us. The "when" clause functions as an adjective (describing day) and "when" functions as an adverb in that clause. (This is the same for your second example.)
2. When I was born is none of your concern. The "when" clause functions as a noun (sentence subject) and "when" functions as an adverb in that clause.
3. My daughter will certainly have a career when she earns a lot of money as a CEO. The "when" clause functions as an adverb (modifying "will have") and "when" functions as an adverb in that clause.

Using shorthand for the rest of your questions:

1. Acts as an adverb.
2. Acts as an adjective.
3. Acts as an adjective. I would not use a comma there.
4. Acts as an adjective. I would not use a comma there. I would use "will visit" or "am going to visit".
5. Acts as an adverb. If you wish it to be adjectival (describing "career", I would use "in which" instead of "when".

I hope this helps more than it confuses you.