定语从句指在句子中起形容词作用的主谓结构,它通常跟在所修饰的名词或者代词之后。
常见的关系代词包括:that(指人或物),which(指代物),who和whom(指代人),whose(指代人或物)。
常见关系副词包括:when、where和why。
如:The man who (that) came to dinner last night is an old friend of my mother's.
值得注意的是,有的时候that也可以作关系副词,如:That's the way in which (that) they did the job.(不过这种情况一般比较少见,大家只要意识到它的存在就好~)
先来帮大家区分一下限制性定语从句和非限制性定语从句。
1.对比分析
限制性定语从句:这类从句构成了先行词不可缺少的部分,与主句的关系非常紧密,去掉它主句意思往往变得不明确。
非限定性定语从句:这类从句是先行词的附加说明,它与主句往往用逗号隔开,而且与主句的关系也比较松散,就算缺少也不会影响全句的理解。
下面举一例给大家对比分析一下:
e.g. The travelers who knew about the floods took another road.
e.g. The travelers, who knew about the floods, took another road.
第一句的限制性定语从句直接修饰先行词“travelers”,所以翻译成“知道有大水的游客走了另外一条路”,有可能还有游客不知道这一情况,因为这里被修饰的游客只是部分游客;而第二句非限定性定语从句作为插入语放在“The travelers took another road”中间,“游客们走了另外一条路”这句话本来就是完整的,非限定性定语从句的存在更强调了事件的原因,所以翻译成“知道有大水,游客走了另外一条路”,这里的游客则更倾向于指代全体。
2.非限制性定语从句的引导词
非限制性定语从句只能用关系代词which或who、whom、whose等引导,不能用that引导,如:
e.g. Nobody knows his phone number, which makes it difficult to get in touch with him.
(which不能改成that)
e.g. Our guide, who was a French Canadian, was an excellent cook.
(who不能改成that)
3. as引导非限制性定语从句
与which一样,as也可以作关系代词,但是它的位置比which灵活的多,可以放在句首或者句末(which不能放在句首);意思也更加丰富,可以指代前面提及的状况或是后面将要提到的情况(which只能指代前面提到的情况)。
例如:
e.g. As could be expected, he opposed the idea.
正如大家料想到的,他反对这个主意。(这里的as不可以被which替代,原因如上)
e.g. He is a bit out of his mind, as all those who know him can see.
那些了解他的人都能看得出来,他现在有点不在状态。(这里的as可以被which代替)
再来!着重讲解两个特殊的关系代词:as和but
1. as
“as引导非限制性定语从句”,还记得下面这个例句吗
e.g. As could be expected, he opposed the idea.
其实as也可以引导限制性定语从句,常常与as、such、same等词连用,构成“as... as... ”,“such... as... ”和“the same as... ”的固定结构,我想这个大家应该都比较熟悉,直接抛例句啦!
e.g.1: He is not such a man as would leave his work half done.(这里的as作从句的主语)
他不是那种做事做一半的人。
Paraphrase(释义、改写):It's not like him to leave his work half done.
e.g.2: I've never heard of such things as he did.(这里的as作从句的宾语)
我还从没听过他做的这些事情。
e.g.3: He is no longer the same as he used to be.(这里的as作从句的主语补语)
他不再是以前那个他了。
2. but
but可以用作关系代词引导限制性定语从句,因为它总是用于否定句,其本意也常表示否定。也就是表示“that... not;which... not;who... not”的含义。所以,其所在句子经常双重否定,最后构成肯定意义。
例句:
e.g.1: There is no rule but has exceptions.
这里的but相当于上面提到的“that... not”,即:There is no rule that has no exceptions.
Paraphrase: Every rule has exceptions.
每个规则都有例外。
e.g.2: There is no one but knows about the incident.
这里的but相当于上面提到的“who... not”,即:There is no one who doesn't know about the incident.
Paraphrase: Everyone knows about the incident.
每个人都知道这件事情。
学完这个用法,可以记住这样一句话
“There is no one but makes mistakes.”
这句话B格甚高,写作的时候可以用到1
最后!除了我们刚开始提到的限制性和非限制性定语从句的差别之外,that和which的使用还有一些其他限制,主要如下:
1.that和which指物时,一般情况下可以互换使用,但当先行词是all,something,nothing等不定代词,或者当先行词前有序数词,形容词最高级,或者是any,few,no,only,some,very等词修饰限定时,只能用that而不能用which引导定语从句。
e.g. Everything that he did seemed quite reasonable.(这里的that可以省略)
e.g. This is the best film that I've ever seen.(这里的that可以省略)
2.当关系代词在从句中作主语补语或在there be(存在句)结构中作主语时,通常用that指人或物,而且通常省略。
e.g. Tom still talks like the man (that) he was ten years ago.
e.g. The 3:30 is the fastest train (that) there is to Cambridge.
总的看来,在限制性定语从句中,that的使用范围比which大很多。
你比自己想象中厉害很多!
四六级加油!