In the following sentence, what does "whereby" mean? →A further cause seems to be the problem of overcrowding in cities, whereby people migrate from the hinterland and settle in urban areas, putting s

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明月 Ming

In the following sentence, what does "whereby" mean? →A further cause seems to be the problem of overcrowding in cities, whereby people migrate from the hinterland and settle in urban areas, putting strain on amenities, housing and above all on transport capacity. I understand whereby is in agreement with "by which" or "through which" or "in accordance with which", and I tried to replace whereby with them, but it seems that it doesn't match.

Jun 9, 2022 11:40 AM

Answers · 9

I think this sentence is an incorrect usage of "whereby", which means "by which". The writer of your sentence has reversed cause and effect, whereby he has exhibited faulty logic. (Note how I just used "whereby": "reversing cause and effect" caused him to "exhibit faulty logic".) It is the migration of people that causes overcrowding, not the reverse, so the sentence doesn't make sense.

June 9, 2022

“In which” would be a good substitute in this case.

June 9, 2022

hey Mingyuen, it simply means where ... where people migrate from .. Whereby = by which way or method: They've set up a plan whereby you can spread the cost over a two-year period. We need to devise some sort of system whereby people can liaise with each other. I hope it helps. Join my classes if you want to get more help.

June 9, 2022