In which of the following sentences is the underlined when-clause an adverb clause?
(A) Amma turned off the gas when the milk began to boil over.
(B) Nobody in the office knows when the new manager will join.
(C) Sunday is the only morning when Papa makes the tea.
(D) When the referee blew the final whistle, the whole stadium stood up.
(E) The only question on the platform was when the stalled train would move again.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A) and (D) only
(A) Amma turned off the gas when the milk began to boil over. — Correct.
- The when-clause tells when Amma turned off the gas. It goes with the verb, so it is an adverb clause of time.
(B) Nobody in the office knows when the new manager will join. — Incorrect.
- The when-clause is the object of “knows”. It is a noun clause.
(C) Sunday is the only morning when Papa makes the tea. — Incorrect.
- The when-clause comes right after the noun “morning” and describes it. It is an adjective clause.
(D) When the referee blew the final whistle, the whole stadium stood up. — Correct.
- The when-clause tells when the stadium stood up. It is an adverb clause of time.
(E) The only question on the platform was when the stalled train would move again. — Incorrect.
- The when-clause comes after “was” and tells what the question was. It is a noun clause, the complement of the verb.