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I have used "which" in a situation where two entities use things, but one entity used a different thing in the second time while the other entity stuck to the same thing it used in the first time.

I find it phrased weakly (I mean by weakly that it didn't express the meaning strongly enough):

"A" changed its key and got XORed with "B" which used the same key as in the first time.

What I mean by that sentence is: A trial has occurred where "A" used a different key in the second time of the trial while "B" stuck to the same key it (refers to "B") used for the first time of the trial.

I thought of using in which but a user has stated in their answer to a question on ELL:

In which may head a relative clause in which the which must stand as the object of the preposition in.

He put the book in that cupboard.

... which leads me to the conclusion that it can't work for my case.

I have also thought of using where:

"A" changed its key and got XORed with "B" where it used the same key as in the first time.

But it kind of indicates that "B" is a place rather than an entity.

Another way I tried for expressing it:

"A" changed its key and got XORed with "B" which in return used the same key as in the first time.

But "in return" would mean because of the change "A" has done, "B" did that.

So, what is the best relative pronoun or phrase that can fit and express the sentence accurately?

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  • What doe you mean by "xored"?
    – BillJ
    Commented Apr 11, 2019 at 13:31
  • It is the xor logic boolean operation, I have used it as a verb as in what is called anthimeria.
    – Learning Equals Success
    Commented Apr 11, 2019 at 14:24

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First of all, I don't see how the point isn't illustrated strongly enough in the original sentence. From what I can tell, the subordinate clause is providing me with all the information I need, i.e. B remains the same in the second trial.

But it kind of indicates that "B" is a place rather than an entity.

The issue is not so much that B seems like a place, rather the fact that the "it" following "where" refers to something else entirely, presumably A based on context.

"A" changed its key and got XORed with "B" which in return used the same key as in the first time.

You could say "which in turn", but I don't think it fits as the "in turn" emphasizes consecutive, dependent events taking place.

The original sentence reads perfectly fine.

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  • Thanks! which in turn is what I was looking for. They are indeed consecutive events, "A" step happens before "B" step. (I should have mentioned that, but I thought it was clear.)
    – Learning Equals Success
    Commented Apr 11, 2019 at 14:30

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