Relative adverbs (when, where, why) modify verbs in adjective clauses. When refers to time, where identifies place, and why provides a reason. They can also be used to ask questions or connect clauses.
In English, there are two basic types of words that are used to change subjects and objects in a sentence. Adjectives describe or modify nouns, and adverbs do the same for verbs. A relative adverb, while retaining its personality as an adverb in the strict sense, introduces an adjective clause. Relative adverbs are the words when, where and why. The purpose of a relative adverb is to modify the verb in the adjective clause.
The relative adverb when, of course, relates to time in a relative sense. It can mean time in the future, as in “I’ll still love you when I’m 64” or time in the past: “I was afraid of spiders when I was a kid.” It can also be used to describe recurring events, for example: “My mother always cries when Mother’s Day comes around and the family cooks dinner for her and gives her presents.”
If when it modifies the verbs of the time, where it identifies the place. Its function is to describe the position. An example of this can be found in the statement “Ms. Beasley teaches fifth grade at the same school where her father was the principal.” In this sentence, the relative adverb where is used to describe the verb phrase “used to be”. The adjective “where her father was the principal” modifies the noun school.
The relative adverb because it suggests or provides a reason for something. Responds to a question asked or not asked and modifies itself through clarification. An irritated mother might tell her children, “The reason we don’t go to the zoo today is because your rooms are a mess!” The adjectival phrase, “why aren’t we going to the zoo today” modifies the noun reason, while why modifies the verb phrase “we aren’t going”.
It’s important to recognize that these three verbs, where, when and why, are most often used to ask questions. “Where did you put my bongo?” it’s a direct question. “Why do not you answer to my question?” look for an answer, as does the eternal darling of children in the back seat of any car: “When will we get there?” Used this way, these words are still adverbs but have moved their tags to read interrogative adverbs.
When they function as relative adverbs, these same words ask no questions. Their task, in this sense, is rather to locate information. They are connectors, joining two clauses into a single sentence.
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