in "They've got this big board near the entrance where they list the trials", I think "where" is a preposition since it's providing additional information about the location of the "listing", although my teacher says it's an adverb, without providing much insight as to why. If anyone could help me with this and provide an explanation as to what the word class is and why, that would be appreciated.
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This question belongs on ELL. :)– LambieCommented Mar 5 at 19:12
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It's a complementizer.– Graham H.Commented Mar 5 at 20:15
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@Lambie what is that– martinkleinsCommented Mar 6 at 3:15
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1@Lambie Not necessarily. It is on topic here, mainly because the boundaries of the term "relative pronoun" have changed considerably during the 20th century.– Sir CornflakesCommented Mar 6 at 11:13
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I agree with you. "Where" is traditionally classified as an adverb, but there are good reasons for re-classifying it as a preposition. See my comment below to @earlyinthemorning– BillJCommented Mar 10 at 9:38
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1 Answer
The word where is a relative adverb—it is being used to link a relative clause on its own, whereas a preposition would be combined with a relative pronoun in order to link a similar clause. (“entrance on which they list the trials”)
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I wouldn't go along with what you say. "Where" is indeed traditionally classified as an adverb, but there are good reasons for re-classifying it as a preposition (as the OP suggests). In the OP's example "They've got this big board near the entrance [where they list the trials"], the bracketed element is a preposition phrase in a 'fused' relative construction. It has a paraphrase containing noun + defining relative: “They've got this big board near the entrance in the place [where they list the trials]".– BillJCommented Mar 10 at 10:25