英語“定語從句的用法”教學探索

摘 要:在句中起定語作用的從句稱為定語從句，分為限制性和非限制性定語從句。引導定語從句的引導詞是關系代詞和關系副詞。

關鍵詞:英語；名詞從句；用法；教學探索

中圖分類號：G424 文獻標識碼：A 文章編號：1006-4117（2011）09-0288-02

英語多用主從復合句，漢語多用并列句。因此，要想學好英語，掌握從句的用法非常重要。定語從句的用法是英語教學的一個重點，也是英語學習的一個難點，學生們在日常學習和考試中對定語從句的用法也常存有疑問，本文探索了定語從句的教學要點。

定語從句（形容詞性從句）：用來修飾、說明主句中某一名詞或代詞（有時也可說明整個主句或主句中的一部分）而起定語作用的句子叫做定語從句。分為限制性和非限制性定語從句。英語的定語從句通常緊跟在所修飾的名詞或代詞后，但譯成漢語時，則常常把定語從句放在所修飾的詞的前面。定語從句所修飾的名詞或代詞稱為“先行詞”。

一、關系代詞引導的定語從句

（一）關系代詞用來指代先行詞是人或物的名詞或代詞，并且作定語從句的一個成分（主語、賓語、定語）。即，關系代詞有三個作用：一是引導定語從句；二是指代先行詞；三是作定語從句的一個成分（主語、賓語、定語）。

This is the detective who came from London.

The book which I am reading is written by Tomas Hardy.

The desk whose leg is broken is very old.

This is the room that/which Shakespeare was born in.

（二）關系代詞在定語從句中作主語時，定語從句的謂語動詞與所修飾的詞的人稱和數要一致

The nurse who is on duty takes care of the patients.

The nurses who are on duty take care of the patients.

Note: the only one of + 復數名詞，后接定語從句時，從句里的動詞用單數。

作主語時，謂語動詞用單數

One of + 復數名詞 后接定語從句時 :1、關系代詞指of后的復數名詞時，從句動詞用復數；2、關系代詞指one時，從句動詞用單數。

He is the only one of the students who has passed CET6.

This is one of the presents which were given to me by my friends.

（三）在限制性定語從句中作及物動詞賓語的關系代詞常可省略。在非限制性定語從句中，關系代詞不能省略，也不能用that

I know the man (whom/that) you met yesterday.

There is no difficulty (which/that) we cannot overcome.

（四）介詞 + 關系代詞引導定語從句：用whom指人，which指物，不能用that。用哪個介詞，要視句子的意思而定

He is a man from whom we should all learn.

This is the laboratory in which he made his experiment.

1、在非限制性定語從句中，of which/whom前可以有數詞、名詞及all， any， both， few， enough， many， most， none， several， some等；

There are fifty students in the class， sixty percent of whom are boys.

There are about seven million people taking part in the election， most of whom are well educated.

2、在口語中一般都把介詞放到從句的后面，這時可以用that，但省略的時候更多一些。

He is a man (whom/that) we should all learn from.

Here is the book (which/that) you have been looking for.

3、像listen to， look at， depend on， pay attention to， take care of等固定短語動詞，在定語從句中一般不宜將介詞與動詞分開。

This is the boy whom she has taken care of.

4、from where為“介詞＋關系副詞”結構，也可以引導定語從句。

We stood at the top of the hill， from where we can see the town.

（五）that的用法：只用于限制性定語從句中，而不能用于非限制性定語從句中。下列情況習慣用that：

1、當先行詞是everything， something， nothing， anything， all， little， few等不定代詞時；

Everything (that) he said was funny.

All the people that are present burst into tears.

2、當先行詞由序數詞，或形容詞最高級、以及the only， the very， the last， the same等詞修飾時；

This is the shortest road that leads to the station.

This is the very book (that) I want to find.

3、當先行詞是并列的“人”和“物”時；

They talked about the persons and things that most impressed them.

The boy and the dog that are in the picture are very lovely.

4、當先行詞為who時；

Who that has seen the girl doesn’t love her?

5、以There be開頭的句子后的定語從句；

There are three things that made Sydney famous—its beautiful harbor， the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

6、定語從句中動詞是be或there be時，關系代詞用that或省略。

John is not the man (that) he was.（不能用who）

（六）關系代詞as的用法：as常在such…as和the same…as的結構中引導定語從句

I told him the same story as (或that) you told me.

Such people as you describe are rare nowadays.

（七）which和as都能在引導非限制性定語從句時代表前面整個主句或謂語的意思。區別在于：

1、都可在主系表結構或主謂結構中作主語；

He passed the examination， as/which as natural.

The street was blocked， as/which often happens in rush hours.

2、用作主謂賓或主謂賓賓補的主語時，用which不用as；

He was late again， which made me very angry.

3、關系代詞前有（短語）介詞時，用which不用as；

He spent most of his time in class teaching dialogues， the object of which was to enable the students to communicate.

4、從句為否定句或否定前綴詞時，用which不用as；

He can write a letter， which I cannot.

He has married again， which was unexpected.

5、as有“正如”的意思，which沒有；

She is beautiful， as are all her sisters.

The machine went wrong， as everyone had expected.

6、as從句可放句首，which不可。（但含倒裝結構的as從句不可放在句首。）

As is known to the world， Mark Twain is a great American writer.

He traveled a great deal， as did most of his friends.

二、關系副詞引導的定語從句

表示時間、地點、原因等，在定語從句中作狀語，若在定語從句中不是充當狀語就不能用。即，關系副詞有兩個作用：一是引導定語從句；二是作定語從句的狀語。（Note:關系代詞和關系副詞的選擇依據：弄清楚引導詞在定語從句中作什么成分，作狀語的應選用關系副詞；作主語，賓語或定語的應選用關系代詞。）

1、where（先行詞是表示地點的名詞）= in which

This is the hospital where Dr. Li worked.

This is a place (that/which) I’ve long wanted to visit.

2、when（先行詞是表示時間的名詞）= in/on which

It was the year when I began to learn English.

This is the time which I forgot to take down.

但在不少情況下，可以省略when，特別是在某些句型或時間狀語中。

In the ten days I was there I often saw her.

3、why（先行詞是表示原因的名詞reason， cause）= for which

This is the reason (why) I did it.（why也可省略）

The reason why he is late is that he failed to catch the first bus.

Note: reason后的表語從句不能用because引導。

4、way后定語從句的引導詞不能用how，要用that或in which，但常省略。

Do you like the way (that/which) she speaks English?

三、限制性定語從句和非限制性定語從句

（一）限制性定語從句：對所修飾的詞的詞義加以限制，使之表示一個、一些或一類特定的人或物；這類從句不能去掉，是整句中不可缺少的一部分，如果去掉的話，先行詞的意義就不可理解或者完全變了樣。限制性定語從句一般緊跟先行詞，和先行詞之間沒有逗號分開，講話時沒有停頓，翻譯時常譯在所修飾的詞之前。

This is the bike that I bought yesterday.

A man who doesn’t try to learn from others can’t hope to achieve much.

（二）非限制性定語從句：對所修飾的詞只是作一些附加說明，相當于一個插入語，對先行詞的含義不起限定作用。可以去掉，去掉后句子的其它部分仍成立。這類從句和句子的其它部分通常用逗號分開，常可譯成一個并列句。

She dislikes trains that are dirty.

我不喜歡不干凈的火車。（言下之意，喜歡干凈的火車）

She dislikes trains， which are dirty.

我不喜歡火車，火車不干凈。（不喜歡火車，理由是火車不干凈）

四、定語從句與同位語從句的區別

（一）定語從句的引導詞that是關系代詞，既指代先行詞，同時又可以在從句中作某個成分（主語或賓語）；而同位語從句中的that是連詞，只起連接主句與從句的作用，不充當從句中任何成分。

（二）定語從句是形容詞性的，其功能是修飾先行詞，對先行詞加以限定，描述其性質或特征；同位語從句是名詞性的，其功能是對名詞進行補充說明，是解釋前面的名詞所講的內容是什么的。

（三）引導定語從句的that有時可省略，但引導同位語從句的that不能省略。

The news that he told me is that Tom would come back next year.

他告訴我的消息是湯姆明年將回來。（第一個that引導的從句是定語從句，that在從句中作賓語）

The news that Tom would come back is told by him.

湯姆將回來的消息是他講的。（同位語從句，that在句中不作任何成分）

作者單位：南陽醫學高等專科學校公共教學部

參考文獻：

[1]錢歌川.英文疑難詳解[M].北京:中國對外翻譯出版公司，1981.