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[1] "That picture was taken in the park where I used to play." (Here, 'where' is an relative adverb.

[2] "I remember the day when we first met." (Here, 'when' is an relative adverb.)

Source : https://www.ef.com/ca/english-resources/english-grammar/relative-adverbs/

[3] "Grandma remembers a time when radio shows were popular." (Here, 'when' is a relative pronoun.)

[4] "I want to visit the island where my grandma was born." (Here, 'where' is a relative pronoun.)

Source : https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/pronouns/relative-pronoun.html

It seems to be confusing that "when" and "where" are relative adverbs in sentence [1] & [2] while they're relative pronouns in sentence [3] and [4].

How can we determine whether "when" and "where" are relativel pronouns or relative adverbs?

Sandip Kumar Mandal
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    Does this answer your question? Why: a relative adverb, a conjunction ... or both? John Lawler looks at all the 'Wh-words'. – Edwin Ashworth May 16 '20 at 14:41
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    "When" and "where" are certainly not pronouns -- that would be an impossible analysis. Traditional grammar classifies them as adverbs, which I think is good enough for your purposes. The most important thing is that "where" and "when" function in the relative clause as adjuncts of place or time respectively, hence their classification as adverbs. – BillJ May 16 '20 at 14:56
  • Okay, but it means the definition given by yourdictionary.com is wrong. I also think that they're not relative pronouns; they are relative adverbs. – Sandip Kumar Mandal May 16 '20 at 15:03
  • Yes, it is mistaken in saying that sometimes the relative adverbs "where" and "when" can also be used as relative pronouns -- that is a ridiculous claim. Adverb and pronoun are distinct word classes -- a word cannot belong to both at the same time in any given phrase or clause. – BillJ May 16 '20 at 16:01
  • So, in That picture was taken in the park where I used to play, the word "where" is an adverb functioning as an adjunct of place. The meaning is "That picture was taken in park x"; I used to play in x". The interpretation is like that of a PP link, which explains why one acclaimed modern grammar classifies "where" as a preposition. – BillJ May 16 '20 at 16:24
  • One doesn't change the properties or affordances of a word class by changing its name. The wh-words all have their own uses, which sprawl all over the official definitions of link labels. Few things are less useful or more irritating than arguing over terminology; it's arbitrary and it's not data. – John Lawler May 16 '20 at 20:01
  • @JohnLawler I don't understand how you could discuss grammar without introducing terminology, though. – listeneva May 17 '20 at 03:57
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    Of course you need to correctly identify word classes (parts of speech), especially as you would have to use them as labels in a tree diagram. The website you provided a link to is undoubtedly mistaken: the wh words you cite are all adverbs for your purposes, and their function is that of adjunct of place / time. – BillJ May 17 '20 at 08:58

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