Correct Sentence Construction in English: When To Use ‘When I Arrived Home’

The phrase "when arrived home" is not a correct sentence construction in standard English. It lacks a subject, which is a crucial component for a complete sentence. A grammatically correct version would be "When I arrived home" or "When she arrived home." In these examples, the subject "I" or "she" clarifies who is performing the action of arriving.

Understanding the Grammar Mistake

Consider the following examples to understand why "when arrived home" is incorrect:

1. When I arrived home – This construction is correct because it includes the subject "I".

2. When whosoever arrived home – This is another correct form, where "whosoever" is a pronoun indicating an unspecified person who arrived home.

In both cases, the sentence becomes a dependent clause. A dependent clause is part of a sentence that needs the other main idea to complete its meaning.

Dependent Clauses and Sentence Completions

A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. For instance:

My dog was barking when I arrived home – This is a complete sentence because it has a subject "My dog" and a predicate including the verb "was barking".

When I arrived home, I was tired – This sentence also stands alone with its subject "I" and verbs "arrived" and "was tired".

Misleading Examples: "When Arrived Home"

The phrase "when arrived home" appears to be a short and efficient way to say the action, but it is not grammatically correct. It is missing the necessary elements to form a complete sentence. Here's why:

Subject: The phrase needs to clarify who performed the action (arrived home) – "I", "he", "she", "they", etc. Verb: The verb must be in the past tense, indicating the completed action. For example, "arrived".

If you are asking a question, the phrase can be correct:

When did he arrive home? – This question is grammatically correct because it includes a subject "he" and a verb "did arrive".

When used as a response to a question, the phrase "When I arrived home" can also be appropriate:

When did you take out the trash? – When I arrived home. – This responds to a question and includes a subject "I" and a predicate "arrived home".

Grammar Rules and Sentence Structure

A clause in English must have a subject, a finite verb, and complements such as objects, adverbs, or predicates. The structure of a clause is as follows:

S AuxVb Verb phrase Complements

A clause typically contains:

Subject: Who or what is performing the action. Auxiliary Verb: A verb that helps form tenses and aspects (e.g., "does", "have", "be"). Verb Phrase: The main verb and its complements (e.g., objects, adverbs).

For the verb "arrive," the forms are:

Base form: arrive (the infinitive or simple form) Past form: arrived Perfect form: have arrived

When "when" is used to introduce the action, it is an adverbial conjunction. For instance:

When did you arrive home? – Here, "when" is used to inquire about the time of the action, and the clause requires a subject "you" before the verb "did arrive".

Transforming Statements into Questions

To turn a statement into a question:

Place the auxiliary verb before the subject. The rest of the verb comes after the subject.

For example:

When did you arrive home? – Here, "did" comes before the subject "you", followed by the past participle "arrived".

When had you arrived home from your trip? – This forms the past perfect tense by using "had" before the subject "you", followed by "arrived".

Further Explanation with Constituents

A clause in English can be broken down into three main components:

S (Subject): The person or thing performing the action (e.g., "I", "they"). AuxVb (Auxiliary Verb): The verb used to form tenses and aspects (e.g., "does", "have", "be"). Verb Phrase: The main verb along with its complements (e.g., "arrived home").

For example, in the sentence "When I arrived home, I was tired," the breakdown is as follows:

When I arrived home – Dependent clause with a subject "I" and a verb phrase "arrived home". I was tired – Independent clause with a subject "I" and a verb phrase "was tired".

Conclusion

To sum up, a proper sentence construction in English, such as "When I arrived home," includes a subject, a verb, and complements. It is important to remember that when "when" is used to introduce an event, it is only the beginning of the clause and needs to be followed by a subject and a verb. Always ensure that your sentences are grammatically correct and complete to avoid confusing readers or fail to convey your intended message effectively.