Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SpecialK]

Hey there,

I had someone ask me to fill in the blanks for this sentence:

Korea has two types of marriages. The first type is _________ (where/what) the two people are arranged by family members.

I know the answer is "where" but what explanation can I give to this student's mother who wants to know.

Any help would be great.

Thanks everyone

[d503]

I think in the end it comes down to the definition of where:

where
1. At or in what place: Where is the telephone?
2. In what situation or position: Where would we be without your help?
3. From what place or source: Where did you get this idea?
4. To what place; toward what end: Where is this argument leading?


You are answering the unspoken question of "In what situations are there two kinds of marraige?"

[SpecialK]

Awesome thanks so much. That is a great answer!

[Grotto]

its also a poorly worded sentence

It would be better if it was:

Korea has two types of marriages. The first type is _________ (where/what) the marriage is arranged by family members.


flowers are arranged, people usually arent!

[Eunoia]

Neither choice is correct, really. The use of "where" in this case is inappropriate - it's a colloquialism, really, rather than proper grammar. We use it all the time in common speech, but in this case, "in which" would be grammatically correct.