'In which' or 'where'?
Which case is correct? I'm writing like some kind of fanfiction, but I really want to know and get better in grammar.
"He had been unable to sleep well the night before to the morning where he had to go away."
"He had been unable to sleep well the night before to the morning in which he had to go away."
grammar usage sentence grammatical-structure
edited 2 days ago
Mitch
51.3k15103214
asked 2 days ago
flowerflower
62
New contributor
flower is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
Which case is correct? I'm writing like some kind of fanfiction, but I really want to know and get better in grammar.
"He had been unable to sleep well the night before to the morning where he had to go away."
"He had been unable to sleep well the night before to the morning in which he had to go away."
grammar usage sentence grammatical-structure
edited 2 days ago
Mitch
51.3k15103214
asked 2 days ago
flowerflower
62
New contributor
flower is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Morning takes the preposition on in this case: "the morning on which he had to go away."
– Kris
yesterday
add a comment |
Which case is correct? I'm writing like some kind of fanfiction, but I really want to know and get better in grammar.
"He had been unable to sleep well the night before to the morning where he had to go away."
"He had been unable to sleep well the night before to the morning in which he had to go away."
grammar usage sentence grammatical-structure
edited 2 days ago
Mitch
51.3k15103214
asked 2 days ago
flowerflower
62
New contributor
flower is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Which case is correct? I'm writing like some kind of fanfiction, but I really want to know and get better in grammar.
"He had been unable to sleep well the night before to the morning where he had to go away."
"He had been unable to sleep well the night before to the morning in which he had to go away."
grammar usage sentence grammatical-structure
grammar usage sentence grammatical-structure
edited 2 days ago
Mitch
51.3k15103214
asked 2 days ago
flowerflower
62
New contributor
flower is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 2 days ago
Mitch
51.3k15103214
asked 2 days ago
flowerflower
62
New contributor
flower is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 2 days ago
Mitch
51.3k15103214
edited 2 days ago
Mitch
51.3k15103214
edited 2 days ago
Mitch
51.3k15103214
51.3k15103214
asked 2 days ago
flowerflower
62
New contributor
flower is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 2 days ago
flowerflower
62
asked 2 days ago
flowerflower
62
62
New contributor
flower is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
flower is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
flower is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
Morning takes the preposition on in this case: "the morning on which he had to go away."
– Kris
yesterday
add a comment |
1
Morning takes the preposition on in this case: "the morning on which he had to go away."
– Kris
yesterday
1
1
Morning takes the preposition on in this case: "the morning on which he had to go away."
– Kris
yesterday
Morning takes the preposition on in this case: "the morning on which he had to go away."
– Kris
yesterday
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
Of the two options you've given, "in which" is more correct. I believe “in” is technically correct since it would be grammatically correct to say “in the morning”. However, morning is a time, so "when" could work better than your options:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning when he had to go away."
or don’t use a preposition:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning he had to go away."
Adding “from” as indicated above would make the sentence grammatically correct, but your sentence could be much more concise. It seems like this is referring to a time in the past, and the morning already passed in the narrators frame of reference. In that case, you might consider:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he left."
Or if your character didn't end up leaving, and you don't yet want to disclose that, you could say:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he was to depart."
answered 2 days ago
mRottenmRotten
40327
1
The first sentence you've offered as a solution is incorrect - it's ungrammatical to say "before to", and no native speaker (excluding unusual regional dialects) would ever use this construction.
– Chappo
yesterday
1
I don’t think we’re reading this sentence the same way. I read “to” as meaning the same as “until” in this case, so I believe it would be technically correct if “from” was added between “well” and “the night”. My first sentence answered the OP’s specific question. But since it’s obvious that no native speaker would use the construction in the OP, I didn’t suggest “from” to fix, but instead suggested two re-writes,
– mRotten
20 hours ago
I’ve now updated my answer to reflect my understanding of the OP’s sentence.
– mRotten
19 hours ago
The edit addresses the grammar, but not the logic: no one would say they couldn’t sleep from the night before till the next morning, since the second phrase is obviously redundant. It’s an error in the OP’s sentence.
– Chappo
17 hours ago
@Chappo, I disagree. If you can’t tell me what rule the sentence breaks, you can’t say the sentence is objectively incorrect. The phrasing is admittedly very awkward, but I preserved the phrasing that I believe the OP intended, which is technically correct if you use “from”, and my re-writes address the awkward phrasing. The reason I did not address this in my original answer was to avoid this very discussion. I understand your argument, but I am nonetheless satisfied with my answer.
– mRotten
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Neither of your sentences are actually correct.
First, you should you not use before to in your constructions—drop the to and just use before on its own.
Second, both where and in which are inappropriate. Instead, you should use when or on which. Alternatively, you don't need to use anything at all.
As such, the following would be fine:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning when he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning on which he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning he had to go away.
Since you're talking about the the night before, it's also assumed that what comes after that is the next morning or day.
So, if you want to simplify it even further, you could use:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before he had to go away.
answered yesterday
Jason BassfordJason Bassford
16.6k31942
add a comment |
Your Answer
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2 Answers
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Of the two options you've given, "in which" is more correct. I believe “in” is technically correct since it would be grammatically correct to say “in the morning”. However, morning is a time, so "when" could work better than your options:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning when he had to go away."
or don’t use a preposition:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning he had to go away."
Adding “from” as indicated above would make the sentence grammatically correct, but your sentence could be much more concise. It seems like this is referring to a time in the past, and the morning already passed in the narrators frame of reference. In that case, you might consider:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he left."
Or if your character didn't end up leaving, and you don't yet want to disclose that, you could say:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he was to depart."
answered 2 days ago
mRottenmRotten
40327
1
The first sentence you've offered as a solution is incorrect - it's ungrammatical to say "before to", and no native speaker (excluding unusual regional dialects) would ever use this construction.
– Chappo
yesterday
1
I don’t think we’re reading this sentence the same way. I read “to” as meaning the same as “until” in this case, so I believe it would be technically correct if “from” was added between “well” and “the night”. My first sentence answered the OP’s specific question. But since it’s obvious that no native speaker would use the construction in the OP, I didn’t suggest “from” to fix, but instead suggested two re-writes,
– mRotten
20 hours ago
I’ve now updated my answer to reflect my understanding of the OP’s sentence.
– mRotten
19 hours ago
The edit addresses the grammar, but not the logic: no one would say they couldn’t sleep from the night before till the next morning, since the second phrase is obviously redundant. It’s an error in the OP’s sentence.
– Chappo
17 hours ago
@Chappo, I disagree. If you can’t tell me what rule the sentence breaks, you can’t say the sentence is objectively incorrect. The phrasing is admittedly very awkward, but I preserved the phrasing that I believe the OP intended, which is technically correct if you use “from”, and my re-writes address the awkward phrasing. The reason I did not address this in my original answer was to avoid this very discussion. I understand your argument, but I am nonetheless satisfied with my answer.
– mRotten
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Of the two options you've given, "in which" is more correct. I believe “in” is technically correct since it would be grammatically correct to say “in the morning”. However, morning is a time, so "when" could work better than your options:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning when he had to go away."
or don’t use a preposition:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning he had to go away."
Adding “from” as indicated above would make the sentence grammatically correct, but your sentence could be much more concise. It seems like this is referring to a time in the past, and the morning already passed in the narrators frame of reference. In that case, you might consider:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he left."
Or if your character didn't end up leaving, and you don't yet want to disclose that, you could say:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he was to depart."
answered 2 days ago
mRottenmRotten
40327
1
The first sentence you've offered as a solution is incorrect - it's ungrammatical to say "before to", and no native speaker (excluding unusual regional dialects) would ever use this construction.
– Chappo
yesterday
1
I don’t think we’re reading this sentence the same way. I read “to” as meaning the same as “until” in this case, so I believe it would be technically correct if “from” was added between “well” and “the night”. My first sentence answered the OP’s specific question. But since it’s obvious that no native speaker would use the construction in the OP, I didn’t suggest “from” to fix, but instead suggested two re-writes,
– mRotten
20 hours ago
I’ve now updated my answer to reflect my understanding of the OP’s sentence.
– mRotten
19 hours ago
The edit addresses the grammar, but not the logic: no one would say they couldn’t sleep from the night before till the next morning, since the second phrase is obviously redundant. It’s an error in the OP’s sentence.
– Chappo
17 hours ago
@Chappo, I disagree. If you can’t tell me what rule the sentence breaks, you can’t say the sentence is objectively incorrect. The phrasing is admittedly very awkward, but I preserved the phrasing that I believe the OP intended, which is technically correct if you use “from”, and my re-writes address the awkward phrasing. The reason I did not address this in my original answer was to avoid this very discussion. I understand your argument, but I am nonetheless satisfied with my answer.
– mRotten
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Of the two options you've given, "in which" is more correct. I believe “in” is technically correct since it would be grammatically correct to say “in the morning”. However, morning is a time, so "when" could work better than your options:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning when he had to go away."
or don’t use a preposition:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning he had to go away."
Adding “from” as indicated above would make the sentence grammatically correct, but your sentence could be much more concise. It seems like this is referring to a time in the past, and the morning already passed in the narrators frame of reference. In that case, you might consider:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he left."
Or if your character didn't end up leaving, and you don't yet want to disclose that, you could say:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he was to depart."
answered 2 days ago
mRottenmRotten
40327
Of the two options you've given, "in which" is more correct. I believe “in” is technically correct since it would be grammatically correct to say “in the morning”. However, morning is a time, so "when" could work better than your options:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning when he had to go away."
or don’t use a preposition:
"He had been unable to sleep well [from] the night before to the morning he had to go away."
Adding “from” as indicated above would make the sentence grammatically correct, but your sentence could be much more concise. It seems like this is referring to a time in the past, and the morning already passed in the narrators frame of reference. In that case, you might consider:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he left."
Or if your character didn't end up leaving, and you don't yet want to disclose that, you could say:
"He couldn't sleep the night before he was to depart."
answered 2 days ago
mRottenmRotten
40327
edited 19 hours ago
answered 2 days ago
mRottenmRotten
40327
answered 2 days ago
mRottenmRotten
40327
answered 2 days ago
mRottenmRotten
40327
40327
1
The first sentence you've offered as a solution is incorrect - it's ungrammatical to say "before to", and no native speaker (excluding unusual regional dialects) would ever use this construction.
– Chappo
yesterday
1
I don’t think we’re reading this sentence the same way. I read “to” as meaning the same as “until” in this case, so I believe it would be technically correct if “from” was added between “well” and “the night”. My first sentence answered the OP’s specific question. But since it’s obvious that no native speaker would use the construction in the OP, I didn’t suggest “from” to fix, but instead suggested two re-writes,
– mRotten
20 hours ago
I’ve now updated my answer to reflect my understanding of the OP’s sentence.
– mRotten
19 hours ago
The edit addresses the grammar, but not the logic: no one would say they couldn’t sleep from the night before till the next morning, since the second phrase is obviously redundant. It’s an error in the OP’s sentence.
– Chappo
17 hours ago
@Chappo, I disagree. If you can’t tell me what rule the sentence breaks, you can’t say the sentence is objectively incorrect. The phrasing is admittedly very awkward, but I preserved the phrasing that I believe the OP intended, which is technically correct if you use “from”, and my re-writes address the awkward phrasing. The reason I did not address this in my original answer was to avoid this very discussion. I understand your argument, but I am nonetheless satisfied with my answer.
– mRotten
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
1
The first sentence you've offered as a solution is incorrect - it's ungrammatical to say "before to", and no native speaker (excluding unusual regional dialects) would ever use this construction.
– Chappo
yesterday
1
I don’t think we’re reading this sentence the same way. I read “to” as meaning the same as “until” in this case, so I believe it would be technically correct if “from” was added between “well” and “the night”. My first sentence answered the OP’s specific question. But since it’s obvious that no native speaker would use the construction in the OP, I didn’t suggest “from” to fix, but instead suggested two re-writes,
– mRotten
20 hours ago
I’ve now updated my answer to reflect my understanding of the OP’s sentence.
– mRotten
19 hours ago
The edit addresses the grammar, but not the logic: no one would say they couldn’t sleep from the night before till the next morning, since the second phrase is obviously redundant. It’s an error in the OP’s sentence.
– Chappo
17 hours ago
@Chappo, I disagree. If you can’t tell me what rule the sentence breaks, you can’t say the sentence is objectively incorrect. The phrasing is admittedly very awkward, but I preserved the phrasing that I believe the OP intended, which is technically correct if you use “from”, and my re-writes address the awkward phrasing. The reason I did not address this in my original answer was to avoid this very discussion. I understand your argument, but I am nonetheless satisfied with my answer.
– mRotten
10 hours ago
1
1
The first sentence you've offered as a solution is incorrect - it's ungrammatical to say "before to", and no native speaker (excluding unusual regional dialects) would ever use this construction.
– Chappo
yesterday
The first sentence you've offered as a solution is incorrect - it's ungrammatical to say "before to", and no native speaker (excluding unusual regional dialects) would ever use this construction.
– Chappo
yesterday
1
1
I don’t think we’re reading this sentence the same way. I read “to” as meaning the same as “until” in this case, so I believe it would be technically correct if “from” was added between “well” and “the night”. My first sentence answered the OP’s specific question. But since it’s obvious that no native speaker would use the construction in the OP, I didn’t suggest “from” to fix, but instead suggested two re-writes,
– mRotten
20 hours ago
I don’t think we’re reading this sentence the same way. I read “to” as meaning the same as “until” in this case, so I believe it would be technically correct if “from” was added between “well” and “the night”. My first sentence answered the OP’s specific question. But since it’s obvious that no native speaker would use the construction in the OP, I didn’t suggest “from” to fix, but instead suggested two re-writes,
– mRotten
20 hours ago
I’ve now updated my answer to reflect my understanding of the OP’s sentence.
– mRotten
19 hours ago
I’ve now updated my answer to reflect my understanding of the OP’s sentence.
– mRotten
19 hours ago
The edit addresses the grammar, but not the logic: no one would say they couldn’t sleep from the night before till the next morning, since the second phrase is obviously redundant. It’s an error in the OP’s sentence.
– Chappo
17 hours ago
The edit addresses the grammar, but not the logic: no one would say they couldn’t sleep from the night before till the next morning, since the second phrase is obviously redundant. It’s an error in the OP’s sentence.
– Chappo
17 hours ago
@Chappo, I disagree. If you can’t tell me what rule the sentence breaks, you can’t say the sentence is objectively incorrect. The phrasing is admittedly very awkward, but I preserved the phrasing that I believe the OP intended, which is technically correct if you use “from”, and my re-writes address the awkward phrasing. The reason I did not address this in my original answer was to avoid this very discussion. I understand your argument, but I am nonetheless satisfied with my answer.
– mRotten
10 hours ago
@Chappo, I disagree. If you can’t tell me what rule the sentence breaks, you can’t say the sentence is objectively incorrect. The phrasing is admittedly very awkward, but I preserved the phrasing that I believe the OP intended, which is technically correct if you use “from”, and my re-writes address the awkward phrasing. The reason I did not address this in my original answer was to avoid this very discussion. I understand your argument, but I am nonetheless satisfied with my answer.
– mRotten
10 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Neither of your sentences are actually correct.
First, you should you not use before to in your constructions—drop the to and just use before on its own.
Second, both where and in which are inappropriate. Instead, you should use when or on which. Alternatively, you don't need to use anything at all.
As such, the following would be fine:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning when he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning on which he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning he had to go away.
Since you're talking about the the night before, it's also assumed that what comes after that is the next morning or day.
So, if you want to simplify it even further, you could use:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before he had to go away.
answered yesterday
Jason BassfordJason Bassford
16.6k31942
add a comment |
Neither of your sentences are actually correct.
First, you should you not use before to in your constructions—drop the to and just use before on its own.
Second, both where and in which are inappropriate. Instead, you should use when or on which. Alternatively, you don't need to use anything at all.
As such, the following would be fine:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning when he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning on which he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning he had to go away.
Since you're talking about the the night before, it's also assumed that what comes after that is the next morning or day.
So, if you want to simplify it even further, you could use:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before he had to go away.
answered yesterday
Jason BassfordJason Bassford
16.6k31942
add a comment |
Neither of your sentences are actually correct.
First, you should you not use before to in your constructions—drop the to and just use before on its own.
Second, both where and in which are inappropriate. Instead, you should use when or on which. Alternatively, you don't need to use anything at all.
As such, the following would be fine:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning when he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning on which he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning he had to go away.
Since you're talking about the the night before, it's also assumed that what comes after that is the next morning or day.
So, if you want to simplify it even further, you could use:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before he had to go away.
answered yesterday
Jason BassfordJason Bassford
16.6k31942
Neither of your sentences are actually correct.
First, you should you not use before to in your constructions—drop the to and just use before on its own.
Second, both where and in which are inappropriate. Instead, you should use when or on which. Alternatively, you don't need to use anything at all.
As such, the following would be fine:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning when he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning on which he had to go away.
He had been unable to sleep well the night before the morning he had to go away.
Since you're talking about the the night before, it's also assumed that what comes after that is the next morning or day.
So, if you want to simplify it even further, you could use:
He had been unable to sleep well the night before he had to go away.
answered yesterday
Jason BassfordJason Bassford
16.6k31942
answered yesterday
Jason BassfordJason Bassford
16.6k31942
answered yesterday
Jason BassfordJason Bassford
16.6k31942
answered yesterday
Jason BassfordJason Bassford
16.6k31942
16.6k31942
add a comment |
add a comment |
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1
Morning takes the preposition on in this case: "the morning on which he had to go away."
– Kris
yesterday