a person where

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a person where" is not correct in standard written English.
It is typically used incorrectly when referring to a person, as "where" is used for places, not individuals. Example: "I met a person where I used to work."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

25 human-written examples

It's not some kind of thinly veiled ambition, because by many yardsticks, in terms of personal business goals and creative goals and lifestyle goals, Mark is a person where you kind of scratch your head in bewilderment as to why he still wants to do it".

The New York Times

Officers would have "the power to impersonate a person where reasonably necessary to execute the warrant".

The Guardian

"I'm not such a person where I just can't let bygones be bygones.

The New York Times - Sports

Mario Russo in Boston offers a Blow Dry Boot Camp; an hour of one-on-one instruction costs $75. Suite Five Salon in San Francisco holds a monthly Blow Out to Go Out night, for $45 a person, where the participants watch a demonstration of the perfect blow-dry before attempting their own.

The New York Times

He teases and torments his characters with intimations of an artificial America where superficial appearances say nothing about the underlying truth of a thing, or a person; where a Swedish plastics salesman is really a German spy; where a Mickey Mouse watch is really a priceless artifact; and where "the word 'fake' meant nothing really, since the word 'authentic' meant nothing really".

The New York Times - Books

The term psychosocial refers to the dynamic relationship between the psychological and social dimensions of a person, where the one influences the other.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

34 human-written examples

"It's the apartment of a depressed person, where I just gave up".

The New York Times

You ask a young person where water comes from, they'll probably say 'The tap.'".

Los Angeles Times

Furthermore, we assume that being infectious and asymptomatic will have a multiplicative effect on infectiousness in the sense that an infectious, asymptomatic person will be relatively m times as infectious as a symptomatic person, where 0 ≤ m ≤ 1.

American Journal of Epidemiology

I don't see myself as an intelligent person where I can scientifically make a difference.

Huffington Post

Occasionally you'll find an ambidextrous person, where hemispheres are co-dominant, and these people are equally capable with both right and left hands.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to people, always use "who", "whom", or "that" instead of "where". "Where" is only appropriate for locations.

Common error

Avoid using "where" to describe people. This is a common mistake stemming from misunderstanding the function of relative pronouns. Double-check your pronoun usage to ensure grammatical correctness.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a person where" functions as an incorrect relative clause. "Where" is typically used to modify places, not people. Ludwig AI confirms that this is grammatically incorrect. The proper relative pronouns to use when referring to people are "who", "whom", or "that".

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

34%

Science

34%

Wiki

28%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

1%

Formal & Business

1%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a person where" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard written English. The relative pronoun "where" should be reserved for places, not people. As highlighted by Ludwig AI, the correct alternatives are "a person who", "an individual who", or other similar phrases using "who", "whom", or, less commonly, "that". Although it occasionally appears in news and media, science, and wiki sources, it is best to avoid this phrase in formal or professional writing to ensure clarity and grammatical accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a person who

Replaces the incorrect "where" with the correct relative pronoun "who" for referring to a person. This is the most grammatically sound alternative.

an individual who

Uses "individual" instead of "person" and replaces "where" with "who", maintaining a formal tone and grammatical accuracy.

someone who

Employs "someone" for a less formal tone and uses "who" to correctly refer to a person.

a person that

Replaces "where" with "that", which is grammatically acceptable but less common than "who" when referring to people.

an individual that

Similar to "a person that", but uses "individual" to increase formality. Still less preferred than "who".

the person whom

Uses the more formal "whom" instead of "who", suitable for very formal contexts, but can sound stilted in modern English.

a character who

Replaces 'person' with 'character', implying a role or persona. Maintains grammatical correctness with 'who'.

an entity who

Uses 'entity' for a more abstract or detached reference to a person. Uses "who" correctly.

the subject who

Implies that the person is the subject of a study or discussion. Still, 'who' is correct.

a figure who

Replaces person with figure, and retains 'who'. Use in limited context where 'figure' is appropriate.

FAQs

What is the correct way to refer to a person in a relative clause?

Use the relative pronouns "who" or "whom" to refer to a person. "Who" is generally used for the subject of a clause, while "whom" is used for the object. Although, "who" is often acceptable in both instances in modern English. Avoid using "where", as it is meant for places.

What can I say instead of "a person where"?

You can use alternatives like "a person who", "an individual who", or "someone who" depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "where" in a sentence?

"Where" should be used to refer to places or locations, not people. For example, "This is the restaurant where we first met."

Is "a person that" grammatically correct as an alternative to "a person who"?

Yes, "that" can be used as a relative pronoun to refer to people, but it is generally less common and less preferred than "who", especially in formal writing. "A person who" is generally better.