基本概念
（一）定義及相關術語
1．定語從句：修飾某一名詞或代詞的從句叫定語從句。定語從句一般緊跟在它所修飾的先行詞之后。
2．先行詞：被定語從句修飾的詞叫先行詞。
3．關系詞：引導定語從句的詞叫關系詞。
關系詞有關系代詞和關系副詞。關系代詞有that, which, who, whom, whose, as等；關系副詞有when, where, why等。
關系詞通常有下列三個作用：A、引導定語從句；B、代替先行詞；C、在定語從句中擔當一個成分。例如：
The man who is shaking hands with my father is a policeman. 該句中，who is shaking hands with my father 是定語從句，修飾先行詞the man， “who”是引導定語從句的關系詞，代替先行詞the man，在定語從句中作主語。
（二）關系代詞引導的定語從句
1．who 指人，在定語從句中作主語。
The boys who are playing football are from Class One. 正在踢足球的男孩是一班的。
Those who want to go to the museum must be at the school gate at 7 tomorrow morning. 想去博物館的人必須在明晨7點到大門口集合。
Yesterday I helped an old man who had lost his way. 昨天我幫助了一位迷路的老人。
That is the teacher who teaches us physics. 那就是教我們物理的老師。
2．whom 指人，在定語從句中做賓語，常可省略。
Mr Liu is the person ( whom ) you talked about on the bus. 劉先生就是你們在公共汽車上談論的那個人。
Li Ming is just the boy ( whom ) I want to see. 李明正是我想要見的男孩。
The professor ( whom ) you are waiting for has come. 你正在等的教授已經來了。
The girl ( whom ) the teacher often praises is our monitor. 老師經常表揚的那個女孩是我們的班長。
注意：關系代詞whom 在口語或非正式文體中常可用who 來代替，也可省略。
The man ( whom / who )you met just now is my old friend.
3．Which 指物，在定語從句中做主語或賓語，做賓語時常可省略。
Football is a game which is liked by most boys. 足球是大多數男孩所喜歡的運動。
The factory which makes computers is far away from here. 制造計算機的那家公司離這兒很遠。
He likes to read books which are written by foreign writers. 他喜歡外國作家寫的書。
The house which is by the lake looks nice. 湖邊的那幢房子看上去很漂亮。
This is the pen ( which ) he bought yesterday. 這是他昨天買的鋼筆。
The film ( which ) they went to see last night was not interesting at all. 他們昨晚看的電影一點意思也沒有。
4．That 指人時，相當于who 或whom；指物時，相當于which.。在定語從句中作主語或賓語，作賓語時常可省略。
The number of people that / who come to visit this city each year reaches one million. 每年來參觀這座城市的人數達一百萬。
Where is the man that / whom I saw this morning? 我今天早上看到的那個人在哪兒？
The person that /whom you introduced to me is very kind. 你介紹給我的那個人很友好。
The season that / which comes after spring is summer. 春天以后的季節是夏季。
Yesterday I received a letter that / which came from Australia. 昨天我收到了一封來自澳大利亞的信。
5．Whose 通常指人，也可指物，在定語從句中做定語。
I visited a scientist whose name is known all over the country. 我拜訪了一個全國知名的科學家。
He has a friend whose father is a doctor. 他有一個爸爸當醫生的朋友。
I once lived in the house whose roof has fallen in. 我曾經住在那幢屋頂已經倒塌了的房子里。
注意：指物時，常用下列結構來代替：
The classroom whose door is broken will soon be repaired.
The classroom the door of which is broken will soon be repaired.
Do you like the book whose cover is yellow?
Do you like the book the cover of which is yellow?
（三）“介詞+關系代詞”引導的定語從句
關系代詞在定語從句中作介詞賓語時，從句常常由“介詞+關系代詞”引出。
The school (which / that) he once studied in is very famous.
The school in which he once studied is very famous. 他曾經就讀過的學校很出名。
Tomorrow Ill bring here the magazine (which / that) you asked for.
Tomorrow Ill bring here the magazine for which you asked.明天我將把你要的雜志帶來。
This is the boy (whom / who / that) I played tennis with yesterday.
This is the boy with whom I played tennis yesterday. 這是我昨天跟他打臺球的男孩。
Well go to hear the famous singer (whom / who / that) we have often talked about.
Well go to hear the famous singer about whom we have often talked.我們將去聽那位我們經常談論的著名歌唱家演唱。
The manager whose company I work in pays much attention to improving our working conditions.
The manager in whose company I work pays much attention to improving our working conditions.
我工作的那家公司的經理十分注意改善我們的工作條件。
注意：1. 含有介詞的短語動詞一般不拆開，介詞仍放在短語動詞的后面。如：look for, look after, take care of 等。
This is the watch (which / that) I am looking for. (正) 這是我正在找的手表。
This is the watch for which I am looking . (誤)
The babies (whom / who / that) the nurse is looking after are very healthy. (正) 那個保姆照看的小寶寶們都很健康。
The babies after whom the nurse is looking are very healthy. （誤）
2.若介詞放在關系代詞前，關系代詞指人時只可用whom，不可用who, that；關系代詞指物時只可用which，不可用that。關系代詞是所有格時用whose。
The man with whom you talked just now is my neighbour. (正) 你剛才跟他談話的那個人是我的鄰居。
The man with that / who you talked just now is my neighbour. (誤)
The plane in which we flew to Canada was really comfortable. (正)我們去加拿大所乘坐的飛機實在很舒服。
The plane in that we flew to Canada was really comfortable. (誤)
3.“介詞+關系代詞”前還可有some, any, none, all, both, neither, many, most, each, few等代詞或者數詞。如：
He loves his parents deeply, both of whom are very kind to him. 他深深地愛著他的父母，他們倆待他都很好。
In the basket there are quite many apples, some of which have gone bad. 籃子里有好些蘋果，有些已經壞了。
There are forty students in our class in all, most of whom are from big cities. 我們班總共有40個學生，大多數來自大城市。
Up to now, he has written ten stories, three of which are about country life. 迄今為止，他寫了10部小說，其中3部是關于農村生活的。
（四）關系副詞引導的定語從句
1． when 指時間，在定語從句中作時間狀語。
I still remember the day when I first came to this school. 我仍然記得我第一次來到這所學校的那一天。
The time when we got together finally arrived. 我們團聚的時刻終于到了。
October 1, 1949 was the day when the Peoples Republic of China was founded. 1949年10月1日是中華人民共和國成立的日子。
Do you remember the years when he lived in the countryside with his grandparents. 你還記得在農村和你祖父母一起生活的那些年嗎？
2． where 指地點，在定語從句中作地點狀語。
Shanghai is the city where I was born. 上海是我出生的城市。
The house where I lived ten years ago has been pulled down. 我十年前住的房子已經被拆掉了。
I visited the farm where a lot of cows were raised . 我參觀了那個飼養了許多奶牛的農場。
Is this the place where they fought the enemy? 這是他們當初打敵人的地方嗎？
3． why 指原因，在定語從句中作原因狀語。
Please tell me the reason why you missed the plane. 請告訴我你誤機的原因。
The reason why he was punished is unknown to us. 他受懲罰的原因我們都不知道。
I dont know the reason why he looks unhappy today. 我不知道他今天為什么看上去不愉快。
注意：關系副詞引導的定語從句經常可以用“介詞+關系代詞”引導的定語從句來表示。如：
From the years when / in which he was going to primary school in the country he had known what he wanted to be when he grew up. 自從他在農村讀小學時，他就已經知道長大后要做什么。
Great changes are taking place in the city where / in which they live. 他們生活的城市正發生巨大的變化。
The reason why / for which he refused the invitation is quite clear. 他為什么拒絕接受邀請的原因是十分明了的。
（五）限制性定語從句和非限制性定語從句
限制性定語從句 非限制性定語從句
形式上 不用逗號“，”與主句隔開。 用逗號“，”與主句隔開。
意義上 是先行詞不可缺少的定語，如刪除，主句則失去意義或意思表達不完整。 只是對先行詞的補充說明，如刪除，主句仍能表達完整的意思。
譯法上 譯成先行詞的定語：“．．．的” 通常譯成主句的并列句。
關系詞的使用上 A．作賓語時可省略 A．不可省略
B．可用that B．不用that
C．可用who 代替whom C．不可用who 代替whom
限制性定語從句舉例：
The teacher told me that Tom was the only person that I could depend on. 老師告訴我說湯姆是我唯一的可以依靠的人。
China is a country which has a long history. 中國是一個歷史悠久的國家。
In the street I saw a man who was from Africa. 在街上我看到一個來自非洲的人。
非限制性定語從句舉例 ：
His mother, who loves him very much, is strict with him. 他媽媽十分地愛他，對他要求很嚴格。
China, which was founded in 1949, is becoming more and more powerful. 中國是1949年成立的， 現在正變得越來越強大。
Last summer I visited the Peoples Great Hall, in which many important meetings are held every year. 去年夏天，我參觀了人民大會堂，在那兒每年都要舉行許多重要會議。
注意區分下列幾組句子的不同含義：
1. Her brother who is now a soldier always encourages her to go to college.
她那當兵的哥哥總是鼓勵她上大學。（意含： 她還有其他哥哥。）
Her brother, who is now a soldier, always encourages her to go to college.
她哥哥是當兵的，他總是鼓勵她上大學。（意含： 她只有一個哥哥。）
2. All the books that have pictures in them are well written.
所有里面帶插圖的書都寫得很好。（意含： 不帶插圖的書則不一定寫得好。）
All the books, which have pictures in them, are well written.
所有的書都帶插圖，這些書都寫得很好。（意含： 沒有不帶插圖的書。）
重點疑難
（一）限制性定語從句中只能用that 引導定語從句的情況
1．當先行詞是everything, anything, nothing (something 除外), all, none, few, little, some等代詞時，或當先行詞受every, any, all, some, no, little, few, much等代詞修飾時。如：
Have you taken down everything that Mr. Li said? 李老師講的你都記下來了嗎？
There seems to be nothing that is impossible to him in the world. 對他來說似乎世界上沒有什么不可能的事。
All that can be done has been done. 所有能做的都做好了。
There is little that I can do for you. 我不能為你干什么。
He stayed in the library and looked up any information that they needed. 他呆在圖書館查找所需的資料。
注意：當先行詞指人時，偶爾也可用關系代詞who，如：
Any man that / who has a sense of duty wont do such a thing. 任何有責任感的人都不會做這樣的事。
All the guests that / who were invited to her wedding were important people. 所有應邀來參加她婚禮的客人都是重要人物。
2．當先行詞被序數詞修飾時。如：
The first place that they visited in London was the Big Ben. 在倫敦他們參觀的第一個地方是大本鐘。
3．當先行詞被形容詞最高級修飾時。如：
This is the best film that I have ever seen. 這是我看過的最好的電影。
4．當先行詞被the very, the only修飾時。如：
This is the very dictionary that I want to buy. 這正是我要買的詞典。
After the fire in his house, the old car is the only thing that he owns. 家里發生了火災過后，那輛舊車成了他的唯一擁有。
注意：當先行詞指人時，偶爾也可用關系代詞who。如：
Wang Hua is the only person in our school who will attend the meeting. 王華是我校唯一出席會議的人。
5．當先行詞前面有who, which等疑問代詞時。如：
Who is the man that is standing by the gate? 站在門口的那個人是誰？
Which is the T-shirt that fits me most? 哪件T恤衫最合我的身？
6．當先行詞為人與動物或人與物時。如：
They talked about the persons and things that they remembered at school 他們談論著他們所能記起的在校時的人和事。
Look at the man and his donkey that are walking up the street. 瞧瞧那個沿街走來的人和他的 毛驢。
（二）關系代詞as和which 引導的定語從句
as 和which 引導非限制性定語從句時， 其用法有相同之處，也有不同之處。具體情況是：
1. as 和which都可以在定語從句中做主語或賓語，代表前面整個句子。如：
He married her, as / which was natural. 他跟她結婚了，這是很自然的事。
He is honest, as / which we can see. 他很誠實， 這一點我們看得出來。
2. as 引導的非限制性定語從句可以放在主句之前、主句之后，甚至還可以分割主句。 which 引導的非限制性定語從句只可放在主句之后。另外，as 常常有“正如、正像”的含義。如：
As is known to all, China is a developing country. 眾所周知，中國是發展中國家。
He is from the south, as we can know from his accent. 他是南方人，這一點我們從他的口音可以知道。
John, as you know, is a famous writer. 正如你所知， 約翰是個著名作家。
Zhang Hua has been to Paris more than ten times, which I dont believe. 張華已去過巴黎十多次了，這一點我不相信。
注意：當主句和從句之間存在著邏輯上的因果關系時，關系詞往往只用which。如：
Tom was late for school again and again, which made his teacher very angry. 湯姆老是遲到，這使得老師很惱火。
These tables are made of metal, which made them very heavy. 這些桌子是金屬的，這使得這些桌子很重。
3.當先行詞受such, the same 修飾時，關系詞常用as。 如：
Ive never heard such stories as he tells. 我從未聽過象他講的這樣的故事。
He is not such a fool as he looks. 他可不象他看上去的那樣傻。
This is the same dictionary as I lost last week. 這部詞典跟我上星期丟失的一樣。
注意：當先行詞受the same 修飾時，偶爾也用 that引導定語從句，但與as引導的定語從句意思有區別。如：
She wore the same dress that she wore at Marys wedding. 她穿著她在瑪麗婚禮上穿過的同一條連衣裙。
She wore the same dress as her younger sister wore. 她穿著跟她妹妹所穿的一樣的連衣裙。
(三) 以the way為先行詞的限制性定語從句通常由in which或that引導，而且通常可以省略。如：
The way (that / in which ) he answered the questions was surprising. 他回答這些問題的方式令人驚奇。
I dont like the way (that / in which) you laugh at her. 我不喜歡你沖她的樣子。
（四）關系代詞與關系副詞的選擇
用關系代詞還是關系副詞引導定語從句主要看關系詞在定語從句中的作用（即所擔當的成分）。試比較：
A.I know a place where we can have a picnic. 我知道一個我們可以野炊的地方。
I know a place which / that is famous for its beautiful natural scenery. 我知道一個以自然景色優美而聞名的地方。
B.I will never forget the days when we spent our holidays together. 我永遠忘不了我們一起度假的日子。
I will never forget the days that / which we spent together. 我永遠忘不了我們一起度過的日子。
C.This is the reason why he was dismissed. 這就是他被解雇的原因。
This is the reason that / which he explained to me for his not attending the meeting. 這就是他向我解釋的他沒有參加會議的原因。
（五）but 有時也用作關系詞引導定語從句。如：
There are very few but admire his talents. 很少有人不贊賞他的才干的。（but = who dont）
（六）定語從句與同位語從句的區別
1．定語從句修飾限定先行詞，它與先行詞是修飾關系；同位語從句說明先行詞的具體內容，它與先行詞是同位關系。
The plane that has just taken off is for Paris. （定語從句） 剛剛起飛的那架飛機是開往巴黎的。
The fact that he has already died is quite clear. （同位語從句） 他已經去世了，這個事實很明了。
2．定語從句由關系代詞或關系副詞引導，關系詞在從句中擔當相應的句子成分，關系代詞在從句中作賓語時經常可省略。同位語從句主要由連詞that 引導，在從句中一般不擔當成分；有時也由where, when, how, who, whether, what 等連詞引導，這些連詞則在從句中擔當成分。
The news that he told me is true. （定語從句） 他告訴我的消息是真的。
The news that he has just died is true. （同位語從句） 他剛剛去世了，這個消息是真的。
The problem that we are facing now is how we can collect so much money. (定語從句) 我們現在面臨的問題是如何籌集這么多資金。
The problem how we can collect so much money is difficult to solve. （同位語從句） 我們如何籌集這么多資金，這個問題很難解決。
The question that he raised puzzled all of us. （定語從句） 他提出的問題讓我們很為難。
The question whether he is sure to win the game is hard to answer. （同位語從句） 他是否一定會贏得那場比賽，這個問題很難回答。
3．同位語從句與先行詞一般可以用動詞be發展成一個完整的句子, 而定語從句則不能。如：
A.The idea that we could ask the teacher for advice is wonderful.（同位語從句） 我們可以向老師請教，這個主意不錯。
The idea was that we could ask the teacher for advice.
B.The fact that the earth moves around the sun is known to all.（同位語從句） 地球圍繞太陽轉，這個事實人人皆知。
The fact is that the earth moves around the sun.
C. Pay attention to the problem how we can protect the wild animals. （同位語從句） 請注意如何保護野生動物這個問題。
The problem is how we can protect the wild animals.
基本概念
1. Dorothy was always speaking highly of her role in the play, , of course, made the others unhappy.
A. which B. who C. this D. what
2. After living in Paris for fifty years he returned to the small town he grew up as a child.
A. which B. when C. that D. where
3. The gentleman you told me yesterday proved to be a thief.
A. who B. about whom C. whom D. with whom
4. Please take any seat is free.
A. which B. where C. in which D. that
5. The old man has two sons, is a soldier.
A. one of whom B. both of them C. all of whom D. none of them
6. This is the ship we crossed the Pacific(太平洋).
A. by which B. by that C. where D. in which
7. New York is famous for its sky-scrapers(摩天大樓)， has more than 100 storeys.
A. the higher of them B. the highest of which
C. the highest of them D. some of which
8. My home village is no longer the same it used to be.
A. which B. as C. where D. when
9. In the office I never seem to have time until after 5:30 p.m., many people have gone home.
A. whose time B. that C. at which D. by which time
10. The boy composition won the first prize is the youngest in the group.
A. who B. whose C. that D. which
11. The weather turned out to be very good, was more than we could expect.
A. what B. which C. that D. it
12. Mr. Wang is a boss, factory Li Ping worked.
A. in whose B. whose C. in whom D. of which
13. I don't like the way you speak to her.
A. / B. that C. in which D. All A, B, and C
14. I shall never forget the years I lived in the country with the farmers, has a good effect on my life.
A. that, which B. when, which C. which, that D. when, who
15. is known to all, China will be an advanced and powerful country in 20 or 30yearstime.
A. What B. That C. As D. It
16. Is this book you want to borrow from the library?
A. that B. which C. the one D. /
17. Such a book you showed me is difficult to understand.
A. that B. which C. as D. like
18. The speaker spoke of some writers and some books were popular then.
A. / B. that C. which D. who
19. This is the store we visited the famous shop assistants.
A. where B. there C. that D. which
20. Im going to spend my holiday in Beijing, live my old parents.
A. which B. that C. where D. there
練習答案：
1---5 ADBDA 6---10 DBBDB 11---15 BADBC 16---20 CCBAC