He wanted to get to Paris, where his uncle lived. When where is used to begin a relative clause, it is not followed by there . Compare: ‘Every weekend she drives down to London. Her parents live there.’ ‘Every weekend she drives down to London, where her parents live.’ 2
The box where she kept her jewellery in had disappeared.
The box where she kept her jewellery had disappeared. When where begins a relative clause, it is not followed by in, at, for, etc: ‘We went to see the house where Shakespeare lived.’ Compare: ‘The box that/which she kept her jewellery in had disappeared.’ 3
See Note at WHAT 3 which 1
Students which fail the exam have to take the course again.
Students who/that fail the exam have to take the course again. Which is used to refer to things (NOT people ): ‘I like music which/that helps me to relax.’ 2
See Note at WHAT 3 while 1
The Japanese have a tendency to keep silent while meetings.
The Japanese have a tendency to keep silent during meetings. While (conjunction) introduces a clause: ‘While we were on holiday, we did a lot of walking.’ During (preposition) introduces a noun phrase: ‘During the holiday we did a lot of walking.’ 2
While I drove to the airport, my car broke down.
While I was driving to the airport, my car broke down. To refer to a ‘background action’, use the past progressive tense ( was /were doing ): ‘While I was having a bath, the telephone rang.’
