Doug Allen's Writing Guide: "Where" vs "In Which"

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and a well-known economist named Doug Allen recently visited my college campus. He gave a fantastic talk that had nothing to do with grammar, but it turns out that when he’s not busy being an economist, he also teaches a writing class. In his guide for students, he has a fantastic distinction between “where” and “in which.” Let’s say you’re referencing a previous Grammar Minute episode in which I say you should use good grammar. There are a lot of those. Anyway, could you say “episode where I say you should use good grammar?” Dr. Allen’s guide says no. “Where” refers to a location. “In which” refers to a piece of content. This doesn’t have to be a hard and fast rule for every casual conversation, but is a good tip for being precise and careful with your writing. That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.