Buzz
Adding as to the end of where definitely alters its meaning. But unlike the confusion between disinterested and uninterested, it’s hard to use whereas in place of where without causing confusion in the reader’s mind—or vice versa.
Given how commonly and flexibly where is used, most English speakers instinctively get it right. For instance, if you’re asking where the restroom is, you wouldn’t accidentally say, “Whereas is the bathroom?” When it comes to location, you almost always want where—no questions about it.
So when exactly should whereas be used? As Grammarist explains, whereas precedes a dependent clause that contrasts with an independent clause. If that sounds technical, this example might clear things up: Let’s say you begin with this independent clause: We used to go out dancing on Saturday nights. On its own, this is a complete sentence. But if you want to add more information about how your Saturday nights have changed, you can use whereas to create the contrast between the past and present:
We used to hit the clubs on Saturday nights, whereas now we stay in and binge-watch Doctor Who.
Whereas isn’t the only conjunction that can join these types of clauses—while, although, and even but can do the job as well (though you might need to adjust the sentence order to maintain a smoother flow).
To add to the complexity, whereas has historically been used in legal documents to mean “considering that.” In contracts, this introductory part, which outlines the document’s purpose, is referred to as a recital; in constitutions, it’s known as a preamble. Using whereas at the start of a legal document was so common in the past that people even began using it as a noun for preamble. Feel free to revive this old-fashioned usage in your next casual chat about the Constitution.
