英语定语从句是句子中用来修饰名词或代词的从句,通过关系词(如who, which, that等)与主句连接,掌握定语从句的用法,能让表达更精确,文章更流畅,本文将详细介绍定语从句的构成、关系词的选择、常见错误及实用例句,帮助读者在写作和口语中灵活运用。
定语从句的基本结构
定语从句通常紧跟在被修饰的名词或代词之后,由关系词引导,关系词的选择取决于被修饰词的属性:
-
指人:用who(作主语或宾语)、whom(作宾语)、whose(表示所属关系)
- The man who is standing there is my teacher.(作主语)
- The girl whom you met yesterday is my sister.(作宾语)
- The student whose book was lost is very upset.(表示所属)
-
指物或动物:用which(正式)、that(非正式或限定性从句)
- The book which I borrowed is very interesting.(正式)
- The dog that barks loudly belongs to my neighbor.(非正式)
-
指时间、地点或原因:用when(时间)、where(地点)、why(原因)
- I still remember the day when we first met.(时间)
- This is the house where I grew up.(地点)
- Do you know the reason why he left early?(原因)
限定性定语从句 vs. 非限定性定语从句
-
限定性定语从句(无逗号):对主句意义至关重要,去掉后句子意思不完整。
- The car that was stolen yesterday has been found.(限定性,指特定的车)
-
非限定性定语从句(有逗号):提供额外信息,去掉后不影响句子核心意思。
- My brother, who lives in New York, is coming to visit.(非限定性,补充信息)
注意:非限定性定语从句不能用that引导,只能用who, which等。
关系词的省略情况
在口语和非正式写作中,关系词有时可以省略,但需满足以下条件:
-
关系词在从句中作宾语(不能省略主语关系词)
- The movie (that) we watched last night was amazing.(that可省略)
-
从句是“there be”结构
- This is the best restaurant (that) there is in town.(that可省略)
常见错误及纠正
-
误用关系词
- ❌ The man which helped me is kind.(which不能指人)
- ✅ The man who helped me is kind.
-
重复主语或宾语
- ❌ The book that I bought it is interesting.(it多余)
- ✅ The book that I bought is interesting.
-
混淆whose和who’s
- ❌ The girl who’s bag was stolen is crying.(who’s=who is,错误)
- ✅ The girl whose bag was stolen is crying.
实用例句
-
指人
- The doctor who treated me was very patient.
- The athlete whose record was broken is training harder.
-
指物
- The laptop which I use for work is very fast.
- The cake that she baked tastes delicious.
-
指时间、地点
- Summer is the season when many people travel.
- The park where we had a picnic is now closed.
-
复杂结构
- She is one of the few people who understand this theory.(注意动词单复数)
- The company, whose profits have doubled, plans to expand.
如何提升定语从句运用能力
- 多读英文原版材料:观察定语从句在文章中的使用方式。
- 仿写练习:模仿经典例句,尝试替换不同关系词。
- 语法检查工具:利用Grammarly等工具检测句子结构是否正确。
- 口语练习:在日常对话中尝试使用定语从句,增强语感。
英语定语从句看似复杂,但只要掌握核心规则,多加练习,就能自然融入表达中,无论是写作还是口语,精准的定语从句能让语言更丰富,逻辑更清晰。