Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote -2 down vote favorite

Which one is grammatical? Or is this a question of style?

  • In a time when someone else is sent to clean up our mess.
  • In a time where someone else is sent to clean up our mess.
share|improve this question
1  
Welcome to ELU! What did you find when you looked up when and where? And what is unclear about how they are used? Without giving that information in your question, this is categorically General Reference, I'm afraid. (Have you seen How to ask? It's a bit buried and hard to find.) – Andrew Leach Sep 14 '12 at 7:06

closed as off topic by tchrist, Barrie England, Andrew Leach, J.R., MετάEd Sep 15 '12 at 5:45

Questions on English Language & Usage Stack Exchange are expected to relate to English language and usage within the scope defined in the FAQ. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about closed questions here.

1 Answer

up vote 1 down vote

in terms of the concepts of 'time' and 'space', 'when' refers to 'time' and 'where' refers to 'space' so 'in a time when someone else is sent to clean up our mess' would be more correct in this context.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.