浅谈高职英语定语从句中存在的问题及解决办法

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【摘要】定语从句是高职英语第一册中十分重要的语法项目之一,可以说它贯穿在高职英语的全过程中。文章分析了在日常学习中会出现的不同程度的问题,进而提出了解决办法。

【关键词】高职英语定语从句存在问题解决办法

定语从句是高职英语第一册中十分重要的语法项目之一,可以说它贯穿在高职英语的全过程中。

一、找不准先行词

定语从句是由关系代词和关系副词引导的从句,其作用是作定语修饰主句的某个成分,这个成分是由名词或代词充当,亦即我们所说的先行词。一些初学者在把两个单句用定语从句变成一句时,找不准先行词,如:Do you know the man? My father is talking to him.

解决办法:首先,要找准先行词,即这两个单句中共有的对象。其次,要确定主句和从句。然后确定先行词后的关联词。所以,正确的答案为:Do you know the man whom/who my father is talking to?

二、用错关联词

找准先行词后,接着就要确定用哪个关联词。定语从句中关联词有两大类,即关系代词和关系副词。关系代词在定语从句中作主语或宾语,作宾语的关系代词可以省去,关系副词作状语。学生作业中出现的问题:a.弄不清先行词是表人、表物还是表原因。b.弄不清先行词在定语从句中作何种成分,如

(1)There is somebody who/whose/why wants to see you.

(2)You can take any seat when is free.

第一题somebody指人,在定语从句中作主语,因此填 who。第二题seat指物,在定语从句中作主语,用that或which。

解决办法:我在讲课时,把关联词形象地比作“牛鼻子”,“牛鼻子”到哪,定语从句跟到哪。关于“牛鼻子”我补充讲解了以下几点:

1.关系代词应与先行词在数上一致。如The gifts which were sent to Jack were very expensive.先行词gifts为复数,因此定语从句谓语动词也须为复数。

2.关系代词在从句中可作主语、宾语和定语,关系副词作状语。如:

(1) Im visiting the schoolmy mother taught physics ten years ago。

A where B that C which D what

(2)Ten years ago my mother taught physics in?the?schoolIm visiting. A where B that C what D why

分析:(1)句中先行词the school在句中作地点状语,所以用where。(2)句中先行词the school在句中作宾语,所以只能用that或which引导。

3.句中不能出现多余的宾语。如 Is this the horse you drew it yesterday?该句中应删去it,因为定语从句的宾语是被省略的which或that.

4.抓住关系代词。从句中关系副词可由“介词+关系副词”代替。如Have you been to the place where she works?句中的where可由in which来取代。

5.可以换用的关系副词。

a.修饰物的关系代词用which或that。如A bookstore is a store which/that sells books.

b.修饰人的关系代词常用who,也可用that.如The comrade who/that visited our class yesterday is our new headmaster.

6.不能换用的关系代词。which不能修饰人,who不能修饰物;whose作从句中的定语,既可修饰人,也可修饰物。

在下列情况下,需用that:

a.先行词为all、little、the one、everything、something、nothing、 anything等不定代词时。

b.先行词被序数词或形容词的最高级修饰时,如(1)The last place that we visited was the library.(2)He is the most careful boy that I know.

c.先行词由“人+物”构成时,如:He talked of the men and the work that interested him very much.

7.可以省略的关系代词。当关系代词在从句中作宾语时,往往可以省略,如 The letter ( that/which) I received yesterday was from my brother.

8.不可省略的关系代词。

a.在从句中作主语或宾语的关系代词,如I know the girl whose father is our Chinese teacher.

b.在非限制性定语从句中的关系代词,如Thats Lao Li,whom I mentioned to you the other day.

C.介词位于关系代词之前时,如 This is the house in which Mr.Smith once lived.

9.跟关系代词连用的介词可置于关系代词之前,也可置后。如上句也可改成This is the housed which Mr.Smith once lived in.

注意:a. that作介词宾语时,介词须位于从句中原来的位置,如Can you lend me the book that you were talking about?

b.在非限制定语从句中,介词位于关系代词的位置,如Wu Dong,with whom I went to the concert,enjoyed it very much.

c.固定短语中的介词不可拆开,如Is this the key that you are looking for?

10. which有时代表前面整个主句所表达的概念,如The meeting was put off,which was exactly what we wanted.

11.关系代词as常与such和the same连用,如I have the same trouble as you have.

三、翻译不准确

许多学生在定语从句英译汉时,不知道要把定语从句置于先行词之前,还有的同学不知道怎样译关联词,如These are the people whom I have worked with for years.错例:这里的人谁和我工作很多年。

解题思路:定语从句的英译汉,先找先行词,关联词不需要翻译,将定语从句译成“……的”格式,放在先行词前,故例句可译成:这些是和我一起工作了多年的同事。