定语从句,简言之,就是用于修饰名词或代词的一个具有完整主谓结构的句子。这个被修饰的名词或代词因为总是在定语从句的前面,所以我们称之为先行词。而引导定语从句的连词,称为关系词;关系词包括关系代词与关系副词。
【真题例句】 Join the Club is filled with too much irrelevant detail
and not enough exploration of the social and biological factors
that make peer pressure so powerful. 12-Text 1
【考点点睛】 that引导定语从句修饰factors。
【佳句妙译】 《加入俱乐部》一书中充斥着太多无关的细节,而对于能使同侪压力发挥强大作用的社会和生物学因素则阐述不足。
①一个词通常是名词,也可以是代词
【真题例句】 For a social epidemic to occur, however, each person so
affected must then influence his or her own acquaintances, who must
in turn influence theirs, and so on; and just how many others pay
attention to each of these people has little to do with the initial
influential. 10-Text 3
【考点点睛】 who引导定语从句修饰前面的名词acquaintances。
【佳句妙译】不过,要出现某个社会潮流,每个被这样影响的人必须接着去影响自己认识的人,而这些人反过来再去影响他们认识的人,如此循环下去。其他人中有多少人注意到这些人,几乎与最初的影响者没有什么关系。
②一个短语
【真题例句】 During the past generation, the American middle?class
family that once could count on hard work and fair play to keep
itself financially secure has been transformed by economic risk and
new realities. 07-Text 3
【考点点睛】 句子的主干是the American middle?class family...has been
transformed。that引导的定语从句修饰the American middle?class
family,即先行词是名词短语the American middle?class family。
【佳句妙译】 上一代,经济危机和新现实使曾经靠努力工作和公平竞争来保持收入稳定的美国中产阶级家庭发生了改变。
③一个从句
【真题例句】 The Greeks assumed that the structure of language had some
connection with the process of thought, which took root in Europe
long before people realized how diverse language could be.
04-翻译
【考点点睛】 本句中which引导的定语从句修饰的不是the process of thought或the structure
of language,而是整个宾语从句the structure of language had some connection
with the process of thought,它所表达的是一种观点,即 which指代的是这种观点。
【佳句妙译】
希腊人认为,语言结构与思维过程之间存在某种联系。这一观点早在人们意识到语言的千差万别之前就早已在欧洲扎下了根。
④一个完整的句子
【真题例句】 When the court deals with social policy decisions, the law
it shapes is inescapably political — which is why decisions split
along ideological lines are so easily dismissed as unjust. 12-Use
of English
【考点点睛】 which引导非限制性定语从句,修饰When the court...is inescapably
political。
【佳句妙译】当法院处理社会决策时,它制订的法律不可避免地具有政治性——这也就是为什么不同意识形态的决策容易被认为是不公正的而不予考虑。
二、引导定语从句的关系词
①关系代词
关系代词
先行词
关系代词在从句中所作成分
that
人或物
作主语、宾语或表语
which
物
作主语、动词宾语或介词宾语
who
人
作主语
whom
人
作宾语
whose
人或物
作定语,相当于先行词的所有格
as
人或物或整句话 作主语
【典型例句1】 It is about YOU, and how you performed and what you
accomplished in those past jobs — especially those accomplishments
that are most relevant to the work you want to do next.
【考点点睛】 that引导定语从句修饰accomplishments,that在从句中作主语。
【佳句妙译】它是有关于你自己,以及你在以往的工作中表现如何并完成了什么任务:尤其是那些与你接下来想做的工作关系最为密切的成就。
【典型例句2】 She had recently left a job and had helped herself to
copies of the company?s client data, which she intended to draw
upon in starting her own business.
【考点点睛】 which引导的定语从句修饰先行词copies,which在从句中作draw upon的宾语。
【佳句妙译】 她最近辞去了工作,并擅自拿走了该公司客户资料的副本,打算自己开公司时使用。
【真题例句1】 In the idealized version of how science is done, facts
about the world are waiting to be observed and collected by
objective researchers who use the scientific method to carry out
their work. 12-Text 3
【考点点睛】 who引导的定语从句修饰其前的researchers,who在从句中作主语。
【佳句妙译】
关于科学研究是如何进行的,理想化的版本是:世界的真相等待着客观的研究者去观察,去收集;他们用科学的方法开展工作。
【真题例句2】 At the same time, the American Law Institute ― a group of
judges, lawers, and academics whose recommendations carry
substantial weight ― issued new guidelines for tort law stating
that companies need not warn customers of obvious dangers or
bombard them with a lengthy list of possible ones.99-Text 1
【考点点睛】 whose引导的定语从句修饰先行词judges, lawers, and
academics;whose作recommendations的定语。
【佳句妙译】与此同时,美国法律研究所由一群法官、律师和学术界人士组成,他们的建议份量极重为侵权法发布了新的指导方针,宣称公司不必提醒顾客注意显而易见的危险,也不必连篇累牍地一再请他们注意一些可能会出现的危险。
②关系副词
关系副词 先行词特征及关系副词在从句中所作成分
when
先行词是表示时间的名词;when在从句中作时间状语,相当于 “介词 + which”。
where
先行词是含有地点意义的名词,除地点名词之外,还有 case,point,situation等;
where在从句中作地点状语,相当于“介
【典型例句1】 The company, a major energy supplier in New England,
provoked justified outrage in Vermont last week when it announced
it was reneging on a longstanding commitment to abide by the
state?s strict nuclear regulations.
【考点点睛】 when引导的定语从句修饰last week,when在从句中作时间状语。
【佳句妙译】这家公司是新英格兰地区的主要能源供应商,该公司上周声称不准备兑现遵守严格的核能法规的长期承诺,在佛蒙特州顺理成章地激起了众怒。
【典型例句2】 Now the tide appears to be turning. As personal injury
claims continue as before, some courts are beginning to side with
defendants, especially in cases where a warning label probably
wouldn’t have changed anything.
【考点点睛】先行词case表示“案件”,并非我们习惯意义上的地点名词,但依然用了where引导定语从句。where在从句中作地点状语。
【佳句妙译】现在这种情况似乎正在发生转变。尽管人身伤害索赔一如既往,但有些法庭已开始站到被告一边,特别是在警告标识起不到任何作用的案件中。
【真题例句1】 Of all the components of a good night’s sleep, dreams
seem to be least within our control. In dreams, a window opens into
a world where logic is suspended and dead people speak. 05?Text
3
【考点点睛】 where引导定语从句,修饰先行词a world,在从句中充当地点状语。
【佳句妙译】 在所有构成良好睡眠的因素中,梦看起来是我们最无法控制的一个。在梦的世界里,逻辑失去效用,死人开始说话。
【真题例句2】 They particularly Quebec and Alberta just want Ottawa
to fork over additional billions with few, if any, strings
attached. That’s one reason why the idea of a national list hasn’t
gone anywhere, while drug costs keep rising fast. 05?Part B
【考点点睛】 why引导的定语从句修饰先行词reason,why在从句中作状语,相当于for which。
【佳句妙译】他们尤其是魁北克与阿尔伯达只希望渥太华尽量无条件地支付额外的几十亿款项。这就是为什么建立一个国家药物清单的想法难以推广而药价持续快速上涨的原因之一。