in which

[ashish.jere]

Example: Eighties was the period in which rock was at it's peak.

Is the usage of in which right here?

Basically, I am trying to understand the usage of in which.

Thanks.

[jitendra.havaldar]

I suppose 'when' can be used here more appropriately, since 'when' refers to a time period specifically.

[goelmohit2002]

As far as I know....both in which and when can be used interchangeably...

There is one example in OG for the same....but do not remember the same as of now...

[RonPurewal]

Example: Eighties was the period in which rock was at it's peak.

Is the usage of in which right here?

Basically, I am trying to understand the usage of in which.

Thanks.

you should use "in which" whenever you're using a construction that would normally take the preposition "in".

in the example above, "in which" is inappropriate, because standard english usage wouldn't include "in" with "the period".
i.e.,
rock was at its peak in that period --> substandard usage.

the standard usage would be rock was at its peak during that period, so you COULD write
...the period during which rock was...

--

and yes, "when" works here, because you're talking about a time period.

--

finally, make sure that you know the difference between "its" and "it's". you're using "it's" incorrectly in your example above.
"its" is the possessive form of "it".
"it's" is a contraction of "it is". you will NEVER see this in a correct gmat answer, since contractions are never appropriate in formal writing.

[FanPurewal]

Example: Eighties was the period in which rock was at it's peak.

Is the usage of in which right here?

Basically, I am trying to understand the usage of in which.

Thanks.

you should use "in which" whenever you're using a construction that would normally take the preposition "in".

in the example above, "in which" is inappropriate, because standard english usage wouldn't include "in" with "the period".
i.e.,
rock was at its peak in that period --> substandard usage.

the standard usage would be rock was at its peak during that period, so you COULD write
...the period during which rock was...

--

and yes, "when" works here, because you're talking about a time period.

--

finally, make sure that you know the difference between "its" and "it's". you're using "it's" incorrectly in your example above.
"its" is the possessive form of "it".
"it's" is a contraction of "it is". you will NEVER see this in a correct gmat answer, since contractions are never appropriate in formal writing.

hi Ron，
i just wondering ...the period during which rock was...

if i change *the period* into *from 1994 to 2014*
is *during which* still appropriate answer here?


actually, i don't know the differences among these three sentences below.

1. Ron was an instructor of manhattan from 2007 to 2014, an era during which the GMAT reformed several times.
2.Ron was an instructor of manhattan from 2007 to 2014, during which the GMAT reformed several times.
3.Ron was an instructor of manhattan from 2007 to 2014, when the GMAT reformed several times.
4.Ron was an instructor of manhattan from 2007 to 2014, an era when the GMAT reformed several times.


can you clarify the differences? thank you Ron!

[RonPurewal]

#1 and #4 are mechanically ok. (In terms of meaning, on the other hand... they imply that I left the company earlier this year. HMMMM.)

#2 is wrong unless "which" is meant to refer only to 2014. You can't use "which" to represent an entire phrase of the form "from x to y"; it must represent a noun.

In #3, it's impossible to tell exactly what time period is described by "when xxxx". Could be the period from 2007-2014, or just 2014.

[RonPurewal]

More importantly, you should make sure you're not building an irrelevant skill set.
You don't need to be able to judge these choices individually; in general, that's WAY too hard.

There will be different answer choices.
You can compare them.
If there's no comparison to make, then there's no issue in the first place.

So, for instance, if you were to be presented with both #1 and #3, then it should be quite clear that #1 is better——it has a clear meaning, while #3 doesn't.