11B 形容词性从句:先说核心名词,再用关系从句补充说明
定语从句的难点不在关系词数量,而在中英语序差异。中文常先说一长串修饰语再落到名词;英语通常先交代核心名词,再把较长的说明放到它后面。
本章学习目标
学完本章,你应该能够:
- 识别先行词、关系词和定语从句边界。
- 根据关系词在从句中承担的成分选择
who, whom, whose, which, that, where, when, why。 - 判断关系词何时可以省略、何时绝不能省略。
- 理解限定性与非限定性定语从句的意义差别。
- 阅读时还原回指关系,写作时把两个句子稳定合并。
学前诊断:地点名词后一定用 where 吗
选择:This is the city ___ I visited last year. 应填 where 还是 that/which?为什么?
答案与提示
填 that/which,也可以省略关系词。还原后是 I visited the city,从句缺少 visited 的宾语;where 适用于缺少地点关系的结构,如 the city where I lived。先看从句缺什么成分,再看先行词表示什么。
1. 核心直觉:英语先交代“谁/什么”,再补充“哪一个”
中文:
我昨天从课程网站下载的文件
英语先说核心名词:
the file
再说明这个文件与后面的分句有什么关系:
the file that I downloaded from the course website yesterday
- 先行词 antecedent:
the file - 关系词 relative word:
that - 定语从句 relative clause:
that I downloaded from the course website yesterday
加粗部分回答“哪一个文件”,因此整体像形容词一样修饰名词。形容词性从句、定语从句、关系从句在本课程中指同一大类结构。
2. 从两个句子生成一个定语从句
原始信息:
The student won the competition.The student sits beside me.
想用第二句说明“是哪位学生”:
- 保留主句骨架:
The student won the competition. - 在说明句中找到重复名词:
The student sits beside me. - 用关系词替代重复名词:
who sits beside me - 紧跟先行词放置:
The student who sits beside me won the competition.
关系词不是额外重复一个代词,而是已经代替了从句中的那个名词位置。
因此不能写:
The student who she sits beside me ...
who 已经是从句主语,再加 she 就重复了。
3. 关系代词:在从句中代替名词
3.1 who:指人,常作主语或宾语
The engineer who designed the bridge received an award.
还原从句:The engineer designed the bridge.
who 代替 the engineer,在从句中做主语。
The engineer who we interviewed received an award.
还原:We interviewed the engineer. 此时 who 做宾语。
3.2 whom:指人,正式语体中作宾语
The engineer whom we interviewed received an award.
在日常英语中,宾语位置常用 who 或直接省略:
the engineer who we interviewedthe engineer we interviewed
介词前置的正式结构中通常用 whom:
the engineer with whom we worked
3.3 whose:表示所属关系
The student whose laptop was missing contacted the office.
还原:The student's laptop was missing.
whose 后面通常直接接所属的名词。它既可指人,也可指事物或机构:
a company whose products are sold worldwide
3.4 which:指事物,也可指前面整件事
The method which produced the best result was selected.
限定性从句中,which 可作主语或宾语。
非限定性从句中的 which 还可概括前面整句话:
The meeting ended early, which surprised everyone.
这里 which 回指“会议提前结束”这件事。
3.5 that:限定性从句中的常用关系代词
The method that we selected is inexpensive.
that 可指人或事物,在限定性从句中作主语或宾语。它通常不用在非限定性从句中,也不能直接放在前置介词之后。
- 正确:
the method that we relied on - 正确:
the method on which we relied - 不写:
the method on that we relied
在传统考试规则中,先行词含最高级、序数词、all, everything, the only 等时常优先要求 that,如 the best solution that we found。真实英语中限定性 which 的接受度受语体和地区影响;备考时按题目所采用的规范处理。
4. 最可靠的选词方法:还原从句中的空位
4.1 从句缺主语
The person ___ called this morning left no message.
从句为 ___ called this morning,缺主语;先行词指人:
The person who/that called this morning ...
主语关系词不能省略。
4.2 从句缺宾语
The article ___ I mentioned is available online.
从句为 I mentioned ___,缺宾语;先行词指物:
the article that I mentionedthe article which I mentionedthe article I mentioned
限定性从句中的宾语关系代词常可省略。
4.3 从句缺所属限定语
The author ___ latest book won the prize ...
还原为 the author's latest book,所以用 whose:
The author whose latest book won the prize ...
4.4 从句主宾完整,缺介词关系
the town ___ she grew up
she grew up 主语和动词完整,但需要地点关系 in the town:
the town where she grew upthe town in which she grew up
先检查从句缺什么成分,再参考先行词指人、物、时间还是地点。
5. 关系副词:把“介词 + 先行词”的关系带进从句
5.1 where
This is the room where the interviews take place.
where 接近 in which。但先行词是地点名词,不代表一定用 where:
the city where I lived:I lived in the city,缺地点关系。the city that I visited:I visited the city,缺宾语。
5.2 when
I remember the day when the results were announced.
when 接近 on which。如果从句中把 day 当宾语,则用关系代词:
I remember the day that we spent together.
5.3 why
No one knows the reason why the system failed.
why 接近 for which,先行词通常是 reason。在限定性从句中也常省略:
the reason the system failed
6. 关系词什么时候可以省略
可以省略
限定性定语从句中,关系代词作宾语时常可省略:
The book (that) I borrowed is overdue.
不能省略
- 关系词作从句主语:
The book that explains the rule ... - 非限定性定语从句:
My laptop, which I bought last year, ... - 介词前置:
the colleague with whom I worked whose表所属:the student whose work improved
省略后要重新检查从句是否仍有主语。The student called me 既可能是完整句,也可能是 the student (whom) I called 的错误写法,语序不能混。
7. 限定性与非限定性:逗号会改变信息
7.1 限定性:确定“是哪一个”
The employees who completed the training may use the equipment.
只说完成培训的那部分员工。删掉从句后,范围发生变化。
7.2 非限定性:对象已经明确,补充信息
Ms. Patel, who completed the training, may use the equipment.
Ms. Patel 已经能唯一识别;从句只是补充说明。朗读时有停顿,书写时用逗号隔开。
7.3 逗号造成的意义差别
My colleagues who work remotely meet online.只谈远程工作的同事。My colleagues, who work remotely, meet online.暗示这里所说的同事都远程工作。
非限定性从句通常不用 that,关系词也不省略。
8. 介词放在哪里
口语和一般写作中,介词常留在从句末尾:
The topic which we talked about was important.
正式写作中可以前置:
The topic about which we talked was important.
更自然的搭配通常是 the topic that we discussed,因为 discuss 直接带宾语,不加 about。
介词选择来自原动词或短语的搭配:
rely on→the method on which we reliedwork with→the colleague with whom I workedapply for→the position for which she applied
9. 定语从句与分词短语
某些定语从句可以压缩:
students who are waiting outside→students waiting outsidedocuments that were signed yesterday→documents signed yesterdaythe first person who arrived→the first person to arrive
压缩后要保持逻辑关系清楚。不能看到关系词和 be 就一律删除;含情态、完成时、明确主语变化或复杂逻辑的从句往往保留更清楚。
10. 阅读定语从句的四步法
例句:
The evidence on which the committee based its decision has not been made public.
- 找先行词:
the evidence。 - 圈出从句:
on which the committee based its decision。 - 还原空位:
the committee based its decision on the evidence。 - 接回主句:
The evidence has not been made public.
整句:委员会作出决定所依据的证据尚未公开。
11. 写作合并四步法
原句:
I spoke to a researcher. The researcher studies language learning.
- 决定主要陈述:
I spoke to a researcher. - 找重复对象:
a researcher / the researcher。 - 判断重复词在说明句中做主语,因此用
who。 - 把从句紧跟先行词:
I spoke to a researcher who studies language learning.
若重复词在从句中做宾语:
I read the article. You recommended the article.
I read the article (that) you recommended.
12. 高频错误
The I downloaded file is damaged.→The file that I downloaded is damaged.The file that I downloaded it is damaged.→ 删除重复的it。The person works here called me.→The person who works here called me.主语关系词不能省略。This is the city which I grew up.→This is the city where/in which I grew up.This is the city where I visited last year.→This is the city that/which I visited last year.My tutor, that lives nearby, ...→ 非限定性从句用who。The colleague with who I worked ...→ 正式结构用with whom。
13. 快速复习清单
- 长定语通常放在核心名词后。
- 关系词既回指先行词,又在从句中承担成分或关系。
- 选关系词先看从句缺什么,再看先行词所指对象。
- 宾语关系代词在限定性从句中常可省略,主语关系词不能省略。
where/when表示介词关系,不等于“地点词后/时间词后必用”。- 限定性从句决定范围;非限定性从句补充信息。
- 非限定性从句通常不用
that,关系词不省略。
14. 自检题
题目
- 填空:The student ___ answered first received a bonus.
- 填空并写出可否省略:The report ___ we discussed yesterday is online.
- 选择:This is the museum where / that we visited last week.
- 选择:This is the museum where / that the exhibition was held.
- 改错:The laptop that I bought it last month has stopped working.
- 改错:The woman lives next door is a doctor.
- 合并:I thanked the colleague. I had worked with the colleague.
- 解释逗号差别:
The students who passed may leave与The students, who passed, may leave。 - 判断
which回指什么:The train was cancelled, which caused a long delay. - 将
the documents that were signed yesterday压缩为分词短语。 - 翻译:我正在使用你推荐的应用程序。
- 用
whose写一句修饰机构或事物的定语从句。
答案与解析
who/that。关系词在从句中作主语,不能省略。that/which,也可省略。它在从句中做discussed的宾语。that/which。visit直接需要宾语:we visited the museum。where。从句主宾结构完整,需要in the museum的地点关系。The laptop that I bought last month ...关系词已代替宾语,删除it。The woman who lives next door is a doctor.从句缺主语。I thanked the colleague with whom I had worked.或较自然的I thanked the colleague (who/whom) I had worked with.- 无逗号时,只允许通过的那部分学生离开;有逗号时,暗示所说学生都通过了,从句只是补充信息。
- 回指“火车被取消”这整件事。
the documents signed yesterdayI am using the app that/which you recommended.关系代词也可省略。- 示例:
We visited a company whose products are used worldwide.
把“看懂”变成“能独立判断”
确认你已经完成自检题,并能说出本章的判断步骤。