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cambridge.org:
(1) We don’t use a question mark when reporting wh-questions.

As far as I understand, the dependent clause "reporting wh-questions" doesn't have a subject because the subject is the same as in the main clause: "we". That is, the full sentence will be:
(2) We don’t use a question mark when we are reporting wh-questions.

Therefore, "when" in (1) is a conjunction, right?

oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com:
(3) Backshift - ​the changing of a tense when reporting what somebody said.

This sentence is different from (1) because there is no subject for the dependent clause "reporting what somebody said" which could be copied from another part of the sentence as it was done with "we" in (2).

Then why is there not a subject after "when" here?
What subject is implied after "when" in (3) and how did you find it out?

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  • 1
    What is your (one) question? Please put one question, not three sentences, in your title.
    – Paul Tanenbaum
    Commented May 30 at 18:25
  • @PaulTanenbaum Sorry, I have a feeling you missed something. The topic is obvious: the absence of subjects after "when". All questions relate to it. And the title has the question "Is it omitted?". Please explain your comment. It's surprising me very much.
    – Loviii
    Commented May 30 at 18:47
  • @Loviii You ask three different questions in your question. I can guess that the first question is your expression of a supposition you're making as you go, not an actual question. The other two sound like two parts of the same question, but it's still better to phrase it as one question. If not, different answerers will choose different parts to answer. Someone might only answer about whether "when" is a conjunction.
    – gotube ♦
    Commented Jun 2 at 0:21

3 Answers 3

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"When" may be labeled an adverb or a subordinating conjunction. (I think CamGEL may label it a preposition). Either way, in this instance it takes an -ing participial phrase/clause as a complement. -ing participial phrases may have a subject or be subjectless. When subjectless, the subject can be interpreted either syntactically (from an antecedent in the sentence) or pragmatically, either from an antecedent in the discourse or from the context; i.e. the subject could be interpreted as "one", "you", "we", et cetera. Your sentence (3) seems to be an example of the latter.

Huddleston's 2007 A Student's Introduction to English Grammar says the following (p. 209):

  • In the long run, taking everything into account, which is the wisest choice?
  • Turning to last week, several numbers provided some reason for optimism.
  • Speaking of heroes , there 's something kind of heroic about this show.

"Here no particular subject is intended for the [italicised] adjuncts: they could perhaps be paraphrased with indefinite one ('when one takes everything into account') or non-deictic you ('when you turn to last week') or we referring to the speaker and addressee in a collaboration ('given that we're speaking of heroes')."

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  • You wrote: "When" may be labeled an adverb or a subordinating conjunction. (I think CamGEL may label it a preposition). Either way, in this instance it takes an -ing participial phrase/clause as a complement. — Could you tell me please a complement of what?
    – Loviii
    Commented May 31 at 8:34
  • A complement of "when".
    – ishtar
    Commented May 31 at 10:43
  • Do you mean no matter whether we consider "when" as an adverb, a conjunction or a preposition, in all cases "reporting wh-questions" in (1) is the complement of "when" ? Thanks.
    – Loviii
    Commented May 31 at 11:46
  • Yes, because the phrase ("reporting wh-questions") is not standalone; whatever you want to call "when", the phrase is complementing it.
    – ishtar
    Commented May 31 at 13:33
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The implied subject is you/we/one, omitted for brevity in dictionary definitions. In the Cambridge example, as you say, it's when we are reporting.... In the Oxford example it could be when you are reporting... ('you' meaning 'people in general') or, more formally, when one is reporting...

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The subject is either the same as in the original sentence, as in your (2), and when there isn't a subject, it's the understood subject "one":

(4) Backshift - ​the changing of a tense when one is reporting what somebody said.

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