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when grammar child

You're using the word 'when' to say 'at the time that', and you want to know if your sentence needs it right now.

A closer look

Use when for one specific point in time, and it needs a main clause with it. Call me when you land.

If the when clause comes first, add a comma: When you land, call me. The comma disappears if the main clause leads.

  • You're telling someone about a moment that happened in the middle of something longer. He was walking home when he heard an explosion. Both words fit this pattern: the single event that interrupts takes when, and the longer background activity usually takes a continuous verb. For this moment, the dedicated when vs while comparison decides between the two words.

  • You're recalling a specific point from someone's past. She was in a bad car accident when she was young. When pins the event to that period, so the listener knows exactly where in time it sits.

  • You're sure something will happen and you're talking about what follows it. I'll call you when I finish work. You're certain the finish is coming, so when fits. If you're not certain it will happen, you need if instead: If I finish work early, I'll call you.

  • You're describing one single event cutting into the middle of a longer activity. Put when with the interrupting event and keep the longer activity in a continuous verb: He was walking home when he heard an explosion. You may also meet sentences like this worded with while, since the two overlap in some uses; the dedicated when vs while comparison sorts out which one your sentence needs.

  • Watch the timing in your own sentence. When with a past verb reports a finished moment: I dropped my phone when I got out of the taxi. Swap to a future certainty and when still works, but the verbs shift: I'll text you when I get out of the taxi. The moment stays fixed in both cases, so you're marking a point in time either way, not a stretch of time.

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usage

when grammar reading

usage decision for the construction 'when + -ing form' (as in 'when reading')

usage

when as an adverb

Use *when* to tie an action to the time it happens. The essential condition: *when* needs a complete sentence beside it. Write *We left when the rain stopped*; *We left when the rain stopped* works because both parts are full clauses. If your draft stops at *When the rain stopped*, it's incomplete, so add a main clause such as *We left*. ## What your sentence says When you write *when*, you're telling the reader that one action happened at the moment of another. *We left when the rain stopped* communicates that leaving and the rain stopping happened at the same point in time. If you only want to give the time without linking two events, an adverb like *yesterday* or a phrase like *at noon* usually fits better. ## Referring to the future In references to the future, the *when*-clause takes the present simple or the present perfect, not *shall* or *will*: *I'll call you when I arrive*, or *I'll call you when I've finished*. Writing *I'll call you when I will arrive* is a typical error. This applies when *when* means 'at that time' in a future reference. ## One decision-changing qualifier When *when* introduces a question instead, it stands alone as an adverb and doesn't need a second clause: *When did you arrive?* is complete by itself. If your sentence is asking for a time, you're not writing the clause-linking use above, so the complete-sentence condition doesn't apply. Pick a sentence you're working on and decide whether it's asking for a time or linking an action to a time. Which one is it? - If you're linking two events, check that both sides of *when* are complete clauses and keep future references in the present simple or present perfect. - If you're asking for a time, *when* stands alone and your sentence is already complete. Once you've decided, rewrite your sentence so it follows the matching pattern, then read it aloud to confirm it sounds natural. For more practice with time expressions, a grammar reference's section on *when* as a conjunction is the next stop.

usage

when job grammar

Use *when* in a job-related sentence when the action is tied to a real, fixed point in time, and switch to *if* when the time is uncertain or merely possible, so you write *When I start the new job, I'll update my email signature* because the start date is set, but *If we confirm Tuesday, I'll send the calendar invite* because it isn't.

usage

when you when when you

A usage guide for forming one correct sentence with 'when' as a time clause, with the condition stated first and the main clause after the comma.

usage

when does to

You're deciding where to goes in your sentence. Use it when your verb passes something to a receiver, and put the receiver after it.

definition

when is the definition

Definition of the time-related word 'when' with two short examples and a nearby distinction.