定语从句常见错误例析

安徽 王永辉

定语从句常见错误例析

安徽 王永辉

定语从句作为英语三大从句之一，无论是在语法填空还是短文改错中，都时有考查。对定语从句的熟练掌握有助于对阅读理解及完形填空中长难句的理解，另外，如果能在书面表达中写出一两个定语从句，也必将是一大亮点。但遗憾的是，学生在定语从句方面总是出现这样或那样的错误。本文笔者以正误例析的方式来谈谈学生在定语从句方面常见的错误及改正方法。

一、错误判断先行词

1.先行词的错误判断导致定语从句中的主谓不一致

误：He is the only one of the students who are from Beijing.

解析：本句的错误在于把“the students”当成了先行词，事实上先行词应该是“the only one”，所以，定语从句中的谓语动词应该为单数。

正：He is the only one of the students who is from Beijing.

或：He is one of the students who are from Beijing.

2.先行词的错误判断导致关系词的错误使用

误：The girl arranged to have piano lessons at the training center with her sister whom she would stay for an hour.（改编自2010江西卷）

解析：一般来说，先行词后面紧跟着关系词，其次再跟定语从句。但有时出于意义的表达而在先行词和关系词之间插入了其他成分，这类定语从句被称为“分隔性定语从句”。在这种情况下确定哪一个是先行词，便是正确理解句子的关键。此句中先行词应当是“the training center”，且引导词代替先行词在定语从句中作状语，所以定语从句的引导词应为“where”。

正：The girl arranged to have piano lessons at the training center with her sister where she would stay for an hour.

二、从句中成分的重复

1.宾语的重复

误：The exact year Angela and her family spent it together in China was 2008.（改编自2014安徽卷，22）

解析：定语从句引导词的句法功能不仅是指代先行词，还在定语从句中充当一定的成分。此句中“The exact year”为先行词，引导词在定语从句中作spent的宾语，故可省略，因此spent后的it 就多余了。

正：The exact year Angela and her family spent together in China was 2008.

2.状语的重复

误：Many countries are now setting up national parks where animals and plants can be protected there.（改编自2013北京卷，27）

解析：引导词where在定语从句中作地点状语，故there 多余。

正：Many countries are now setting up national parks where animals and plants can be protected.

3.限定成分的重复

误：The books on the desk，whose the covers are shiny，are prizes for us.（改编自2015四川卷，3）

解析：逗号后的句子为whose引导的定语从句，whose在定语从句中起对“covers”修饰限定的作用，故whose后的the多余。

正：The books on the desk，whose covers are shiny，are prizes for us.

三、从句中主谓的不一致

误：It is a truly delightful place，which look the same as it must have done 100 years ago with its winding streets and pretty cottages.（改编自2015湖南卷，29）

解析：定语从句中引导词作主语时，从句的谓语动词在人称和数的方面应该与先行词一致。该句先行词是“a truly delightful place”，故定语从句中的谓语动词应该用单数形式。

正：It is a truly delightful place，which looks the same as it must have done 100 years ago with its winding streets and pretty cottages.

四、关系词方面的错误

1.that和what

误：we’ll reach the sales targets in a month what we set at the beginning of the year.（改编自2014重庆卷，9）

解析：定语从句的引导词中是没有what的，what在名词性从句中作主语或宾语，而在定语从句中作主语或宾语的关系代词可用that或which。比较下面两个例子：

①He told me all that he knows.（that引导的定语从句修饰先行词all）

②He told me what he knows.（what引导的宾语从句）

正：we’ll reach the sales targets in a month（that）we set at the beginning of the year.

2.that和which

①误：Please send us all the information which you have about the candidate for the position.（改编自2014陕西卷，13）

解析：当先行词被不定代词、形容词最高级或序数词等修饰且引导词在定语从句中作主语或宾语时，只能用that引导定语从句。

正：Please send us all the information（that）you have about the candidate for the position.

②误：Care of the soul is a gradual process in that even the small details of life should be considered.（改编自2012湖南卷，34）

解析：分析句子结构可知，a gradual process后为“介词+关系代词”引导的定语从句，当先行词为物时，此时的引导词只能是which。

正：Care of the soul is a gradual process in which even the small details of life should be considered.

③误：China Today attracts a worldwide readership，that shows that more and more people all over the world want to learn about China.（改编自2015福建卷，34）

解析：逗号后的句子是一个非限制性定语从句且引导词在该定语从句中作主语，故应该用which引导。

正：China Today attracts a worldwide readership，which shows that more and more people all over the world want to learn about China.

3.that/which和who

误：Happiness and success often come to those that are good at recognizing their own strengths.（改编自2013湖南卷，21）

解析：当those代指人作先行词时，定语从句的引导词用who。类似的词还有one（s），he，不能用that，更不能用which（指物）。另外如果在非限制性定语从句中，即使代指人时也不能用that。

正：Happiness and success often come to those who are good at recognizing their own strengths.

4.as和which/that

①误：The number of smokers，which is reported，has dropped by 17 percent in just one year.（改编自2015江苏卷，21）

解析：as和which均可引导非限制性定语从句。as引导非限制性定语从句，位置非常灵活，可位于主句前、主句后，也可位于主句中间。which引导非限制性定语从句时位于主句之后。且as意为“正如或正像……”，which无实际意义。故根据句意及结构可知，要用as引导定语从句。

正：The number of smokers，as is reported，has dropped by 17 percent in just one year.

②误：He is such a lazy man that nobody wants to work with.

解析：分析本句句子结构可以看出，如果把该从句当做状语从句（such...that...结构），从句缺少宾语；如果把该从句当做定语从句，引导词错误，因为在限制性定语从句中，先行词被such修饰时，要用as引导定语从句。

正：He is such a lazy man that nobody wants to work with him.

或He is such a lazy man as nobody wants to work with.

5.关系代词与人称代词的误用

误：He wrote many children’s books，nearly half of them were published in the 1990s.（改编自2015重庆卷，14）

解析：逗号后无连词，如果前后分句是并列句，应该加并列连词；如果前后分句是主从复合句，根据句意及结构可判断应该为非限制性定语从句，关系词代指“children’s books”，位于介词of之后，故应该用which。

正：He wrote many children’s books，and nearly half of them were published in the 1990s.

或He wrote many children’s books，nearly half of which were published in the 1990s.

6.关系代词与关系副词的误用

①误：Students should involve themselves in community activities which they can gain experience for growth.（改编自2014福建卷，31）

解析：定语从句引导词的判断不能简单地只看先行词类型，还要关注其在定语从句中所作的成分。该句中尽管先行词为“community activities（物）”，但从定语从句的结构分析可知，引导词在定语从句中作地点状语，故要用where引导该定语从句。

正：Students should involve themselves in community activities where they can gain experience for growth.

②误：That evening，when I will tell you more about later，I ended up working very late.（改编自2012全国卷Ⅱ，8）

解析：此句中尽管先行词为指时间的“That evening”，但不能用when引导后面的定语从句，原因是在这个非限制性定语从句中缺少的是介词about的宾语。故应用which引导该非限制性定语从句。

正：That evening，which I will tell you more about later，I ended up working very late.

7.关系词的漏用

误：The student is standing there is our monitor.

解析：在定语从句中，当先行词在定语从句中作主语时，关系代词不能省略。

正：The student who/that is standing there is our monitor.

五、使用“介词+关系代词”引导定语从句时，介词的误用

误：I am looking forward to the day in which my daughter can read this book and know my feelings for her.（改编自2014湖南卷，31）

解析：使用“介词+关系代词”引导定语从句时，介词的选择常有两种方法：一是与定语从句中谓语动词的搭配，二是结合先行词和句子的意思选择。此句中“in which my daughter can read this book and know my feelings for her”为定语从句，修饰“the day”，在具体的某一天应该使用介词on。

正：I am looking forward to the day on which my daughter can read this book and know my feelings for her.

六、定语从句与其他句型混淆

误：It was this small village that we lived 10 years ago.

解析：本句的错误在于把它看成了强调句式。强调句式的特点是把强调结构去掉，剩余的成分仍然能构成完整的句子，但本句显然不能满足此条件。事实上后半句为定语从句，应该使用where引导。另外，大家还要注意定语从句与名词性从句及状语从句的区别。

正：It was this small village where we lived 10 years ago.（定语从句）

或It was in this small village that we lived 10 years ago.（强调句）

【实战演练】改错。

1. My mother was so proud of all what I had done that she rewarded me with a trip to Beijing.

2. I refuse to accept the blame for something which was someone else’s fault.

3. The old temple whose the roof was damaged in storm is now under repair.

4. The newly built café，the walls of it are painted light green，is really a peaceful place for us，specially after hard work.

5. The message you intend to convey through words may be the exact opposite of which others actually understand.

6. When I arrived，Bryan took me to see the house which I would be staying.

7. We have launched another man-made satellite，that is announced in today’s newspaper.

8. We live in an age that more information is available with greater ease than ever before.

9. A lot of language learning，as have been discovered，is happening in the first year of life，so parents should talk much to their children during that period.

10. Sales director is a position for which communication ability is just as important as sales.

【参考答案】1.what→that或删除what 2.which→that 3. 删除第二个the 4.it→which 5.which→what 6.which→where 7.that→which 8. that→when 9. have→has 10. for→in

（作者单位：安徽省太和县太和中学）