Do you want to ace the IELTS Writing Test? Aside from attending IELTS review classes and organizing a study group, it is also important to find a great writing tip that can help boost your exam preparation and achieve a high band score in the writing test. One simple yet useful writing that you can apply in your study time is learning about the adverb clause of place.


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What Is an Adverb Clause of Place?

An adverb clause of place is a dependent clause that tells where the action takes place in a sentence. It cannot stand alone and must be connected by an independent clause to form a complete sentence. The adverb clause of place begins with the subordinators (where and wherever) and functions as an object of a preposition, nominal modifier or even an adjective clause in a sentence.

As a test taker enrolled in an IELTS review center, it is essential to know the intricacies of this type of adverb clause which include these three simple guidelines on how to use the adverb clause of place.

      1.    Adverb clause of place can be placed at the beginning or end of a sentence. If you want to place it at the beginning of the sentence, add a comma after the adverb clause of place. To boost your IELTS training even more, check the samples below:

Where I come from, the summer is very hot and dry.
Wherever I get an idea for a story, I immediately write it down in a notebook.

      2.    When placing an adverb clause of place after the independent clause, commas are not necessary. Here are some examples:

That blue house is where I was born.
I always stay with my brother wherever I go to Los Angeles.

      3.    The subordinator where is used to tell the specific location where the action takes place in the sentence.

Fresh graduates have to go where they can find decent jobs.
Where there is a will, there is a way.

The subordinator wherever is used to express an indefinite place where the action takes place in the sentence. Read the following examples:
His cat always follows him wherever he goes.
I try to save money wherever I can.

One final reminder: In some cases, the subordinator wherever can be replaced by the word everywhere to tell an indefinite place in a sentence. Below is an example:

                        Wherever we went, people greeted us kindly.
                        Everywhere we went, people greeted us kindly.

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REFERENCES:

"Adverb-Clause-of-Place." English for Students. Accessed March 14, 2019. http://www.english-for-students.com/Adverb-Clause-of-Place.html.

Abbas, A. “Adverbial Clause of Place." Learn With Azwar Abbas. Accessed March 14, 2019. https://learnwithazwarabbas.blogspot.com/2012/01/place-clauses.html.

Nordquist, R. "Need Help in Identifying Adverb Clauses?" ThoughtCo. July 19, 2018. Accessed March 14, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/exercise-in-identifying-adverb-clauses-1692212.

Shabani, F. "Adverbial Clauses of Place." LinkedIn SlideShare. May 24, 2016. Accessed March 14, 2019. https://www.slideshare.net/FestaShabani/adverbial-clauses-of-place.