2 CONJ If something happens when something else is happening, the two things are happening at the same time. □ You can even track how many calories you burn when sleeping. □ Mustard is grown in the field when weeds are there.
3 CONJ You use when to introduce a clause in which you mention something which happens at some point during an activity, event, or situation. □ When I met the Gills, I had been gardening for nearly ten years.
4 CONJ You use when to introduce a clause where you mention the circumstances under which the event in the main clause happened or will happen. □ When he brought Imelda her drink she gave him a genuine, sweet smile of thanks. □ I'll start to think about it when I have to write my report.
5 CONJ You use when after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause where you mention the time at which something happens. □ I asked him when he'd be back to pick me up. □ I don't know when the decision was made.
6 PRON You use when to introduce a clause which specifies or refers to the time at which something happens. □ He could remember a time when he had worked like that himself. □ In 1973, when he lived in Rome, his sixteen-year-old son was kidnapped.
7 CONJ You use when to introduce the reason for an opinion, comment, or question. □ How can I love myself when I look like this?
8 CONJ You use when in order to introduce a fact or comment which makes the other part of the sentence rather surprising or unlikely. □ Our mothers sat us down to read and paint, when all we really wanted to do was to make a mess.
whence / h we ns/ ADV Whence means from where. [LITERARY or OLD-FASHIONED ] □ No one ordered him back whence he came.
when|ever ◆◇◇ / h wene və r /
1 CONJ You use whenever to refer to any time or every time that something happens or is true. □ She always called at the house whenever she was in the area. □ You can have my cottage whenever you like. □ I recommend that you avoid processed foods whenever possible.
2 CONJ You use whenever to refer to a time that you do not know or are not sure about. □ He married Miss Vancouver in 1963, or whenever it was.
where ◆◆◆ / h weə r /
1 ADV You use where to ask questions about the place something is in, or is coming from or going to. □ Where did you meet him? □ Where's Anna? □ Where are we going? □ 'You'll never believe where Julie and I are going.'—'Where?'
2 CONJ You use where after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause in which you mention the place in which something is situated or happens. □ He knew where Henry Carter had gone. □ If he's got something on his mind he knows where to find me. □ Ernest Brown lives about a dozen blocks from where the riots began. ● PRON Where is also a relative pronoun. □ …available at the travel agency where you book your holiday. □ Wanchai boasts the Academy of Performing Arts, where everything from Chinese Opera to Shakespeare is performed.
3 ADV You use where to ask questions about a situation, a stage in something, or an aspect of something. □ If they get their way, where will it stop? □ It's not so simple. They'll have to let the draft board know, and then where will we be?
4 CONJ You use where after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause in which you mention a situation, a stage in something, or an aspect of something. □ It's not hard to see where she got her feelings about herself. □ She had a feeling she already knew where this conversation was going to lead. □ I didn't know where to start. ● PRON Where is also a relative pronoun. □ …that delicate situation where a friend's confidence can easily be betrayed. □ The government is at a stage where it is willing to talk to almost anyone.
5 CONJ You use where to introduce a clause that contrasts with the other parts of the sentence. □ Sometimes a teacher will be listened to, where a parent might not.
where|abouts Pronounced / h weə rəbaʊts/ for meaning 1 , and / h weə rəbaʊ ts/ for meaning 2 . 1 N‑SING [with sing or pl verb, with poss] If you refer to the whereabouts of a particular person or thing, you mean the place where that person or thing may be found. □ [+ of ] The police are anxious to hear from anyone who may know the whereabouts of the firearms.
2 ADV You use whereabouts , usually in questions, when you are asking or talking about where something or someone is exactly. □ [+ in ] Whereabouts in Liverpool are you from? □ 'I actually live near Chester.'—'Whereabouts?' □ I spoke with him three days ago but I don't know whereabouts he is.
where|as ◆◇◇ / h weəræ z/ CONJ You use whereas to introduce a comment which contrasts with what is said in the main clause. □ Pensions are linked to inflation, whereas they should be linked to the cost of living.
where|by / h weə r ba I / PRON A system or action whereby something happens is one that makes that thing happen. [FORMAL ] □ …the system whereby Britons choose their family doctors and the government pays those doctors. □ They voted to accept a deal whereby the union will receive nearly three-quarters of a million pounds from the International Miners Organisation.
where|fores / h weə r fɔː r z/ PHRASE The whys and wherefores of something are the reasons for it. □ Even successful bosses need to be queried about the whys and wherefores of their actions.
where|in / h weər I n/
1 PRON Wherein means in which place or thing. [FORMAL , LITERARY or OLD-FASHIONED ] □ …a riding school wherein we could learn the art of horsemanship.