What is a national park?
A national park is a big area of land that the government protects. Wild animals, forests, lakes and mountains are left natural there. People may visit, but they must follow rules: no hunting, no cutting trees, no dropping rubbish.
Simple idea: protect + visit + learn.
Why do we need national parks?
- Animals need homes. When forests are cleared, they lose their homes.
- Trees clean the air and hold the soil and water.
- People can rest and learn about nature.
- Rare plants and animals stay safe for the future.
Examples: Yellowstone in the United States (set up in 1872) is often called the first national park of the modern world. Jim Corbett National Park in India (set up in 1936) is the first national park in India.
Relative adverbs: where, when, why
A relative adverb starts a small clause that describes a noun. It also joins the clause to the noun.
| Word | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| where | place | This is the park where deer live. |
| when | time | Winter is the season when snow falls. |
| why | reason | That is the reason why parks matter. |
How it differs from who and which
who and which replace a noun inside the clause. where, when and why replace a place, time or reason phrase.
"The park where deer live" = "the park in which deer live". Both are correct. You can also drop why: "the reason parks matter". You can drop when after time words: "the day we visited".
Try it
Look around your home or school. Write three sentences: one with where (a place), one with when (a time), one with why (a reason). Example: "This is the garden where we plant trees. June is the month when rain comes. That is the reason why we water the plants less." Then check each one: is the word before the gap a place, a time or the word reason?
Key formulas and definitions
- place noun + where + clause
- time noun + when + clause
- the reason + why + clause
- where = in/at which; when = on/in which; why = for which
- national park = protect + visit + learn
Worked examples
1. Fill the gap: This is the lake ____ the birds rest.
where. "The lake" is a place, so we use where.
2. Fill the gap: I remember the day ____ we saw a tiger.
when. "The day" is a time, so we use when.
3. Join: Parks protect animals. This is the reason. (use why)
This is the reason why parks protect animals.
Common mistakes
- Using where for a time: wrong "the day where we met"; right "the day when we met".
- Using why after a word that is not reason: wrong "the cause why"; use "the reason why" or "the reason".
- Thinking a national park is a zoo. Animals in a park live free in their own home.
- Forgetting that a relative adverb is followed by a full clause with its own subject: "where deer live".