一词变动 答案不同

余可佳 刘红志

定语从句是高考必考的知识点之一。请看下面两道高考题：

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

A. when B. where C. why  D. which

2. Among the many dangers            sailors have to face， probably the greatest of all is fog.

A. which B. what C. where D. when

第1題的答案是D。尽管先行词是时间the exact year，但引导词在从句中充当spent的宾语，引导词只能是which或that。题意是：安吉娜和她的家人一起在中国度过的准确的年份是2008年。

第2题的答案是A。关系代词which代指the many dangers，在从句作face的宾语。题意是：在许多海员们不得不面临的危险中，最大的危险可能是雾。

经过笔者随机抽样调查发现，第一题有43%的学生错选A。第二题有33%的学生错选C。原因很简单：考生以为先行词是时间名词时，定语从句的引导词必定用when。先行词是地点名词时，定语从句的引导词必定用where。

为此笔者对以上两道高考题进行微调后，再做随机抽样调查。微调后题目是：

1. The exact year          Angela and her family lived together in China was 2008.

A. when B. where C. why  D. which

2. Among the many dangers        sailors have to work， probably the greatest of all is fog.

A. which   B. what   C. where  D. when

当第1题的spent改成lived之后，答案就变成了A。因为live是不及物动词，when在定语从句中充当状语。调查结果显示，此题的正答率为70%，说明考生一见到先行词是时间名词，就选when。

当第2题的face改成work之后，答案就变成了C。因为work是不及物动词，where在定语从句中充当状语。调查结果显示，此题的正答率仅为17%，有43%的考生错选A项，这说明考生对先行词the many dangers无法作出正确的判断。

其实，定语从句的解题关键不在对先行词的判断，而在于对引导词在从句中起的作用的判断：

1. 在定语从句中，无论先行词是什么，若定语从句中缺少主语、宾语或表语，则定语从句只能用关系代词引导。例如：

The boys who had never come across anything like this before started jumping out of the windows. 男孩子们以前从来没有见过这种情形，吓得开始跳窗。

在上例中，who had never come across anything like this before是定语从句，修饰the boys。在这个定语从句中，关系代词who充当定语从句的主语。

当先行词是地点名词和时间名词时，如果引导词在定语从句中充当主语、宾语或表语，同样只能用关系代词that或which。例如：

Last weekend another teacher， Jenny， and I did visit a village which is the home of one of the boys， Tom. 上周末我和另外一个叫珍妮的老师的确访问了一个村庄，那是我的学生汤姆的家。

在上例中，which is the home of one of the boys， Tom是定语从句，修饰a village， 在定语从句中充当主语。

2. 当先行词为地点名词时，如果引导词在定语从句中充当状语，则只能用关系副词where或in/on/at which。例如：

The school where you studied last year has been improved.

试比较：

This is the factory where I once worked.

This is the factory that I once visited.

上两例中引导词的不同首先是因为动词的不同。第一例中动词work是一个不及物动词，需要带一个关系副词作状语。第二例中的动词visit是一个及物动词，需要带一个关系代词作宾语。在简单句中会有I once worked there（in the factory），同理也会有I once visited it（指the factory）.

3. 当先行词为时间名词时，如果引导词在定语从句中充当状语，则只能用关系副词when或in/on which。例如：

I wont ever forget the day when my team won the soccer competition.

试比较：

I will never forget the days when we worked together.

I will never forget the days which we spent together.

上两例中引导词的不同首先是因为动词的不同。第一例中动词work是一个不及物动词，需要带一个关系副词作状语。第二例中的动词spend是一个及物动词，需要带一个关系代词作宾语。在简单句中会有We worked together then（指on the days）同理也会有：We spent the days together。

4. 当先行词为reason时，如果引导词在定语从句中充当状语，则只能用关系副词why或for which。例如：

The reason why he was late for school was that he was watching an interview of the first Chinese astronaut on TV.

试比较：

I dont believe the reason which he told me. 我不相信他告诉我的原因。

I dont believe the reason why he was absent. 我不相信他为什么缺席的原因。

I dont believe the reason that he was ill. 我不相信他生病了这个原因。

这一组比较的第一例中的which引导普通的定语从句，which作told的直接宾语，这里的which与that可以互换。第二例的why引导表示原因的定语从句，why可以换成for which。第三例中的that引导同位语从句解释the reason的内容，此时that只起连接作用，不在从句中充当任何成分，也不能换成which。

5. 先行词activity， business， case， condition， contest， culture， difference， job， mistake， point， position， race， scar， situation， stage， system和tradition等，尽管表面上看来不是时间或地点名词，但如果引导词在定语从句中作状语，也要接where或in which引导的定语从句，其中point， situation和stage还可接when引导的定语从句。例如：

Life is like a long race， where we compete with others to go beyond ourselves. 生活就像一场长跑，在这场长跑中，我们和别人竞争，以求超越自己。

练习

1. She has a gift for creating an atmosphere for her students          allows them to communicate freely with each other.

A. which B. where C. what  D. who

2. Along the path stood some signs，       ，  were written “Keep off the Grass”.

A. on which B. which C. that D. in which

3. I shall never forget those years          I lived in the country with the farmers，          has a great effect on my life.

A. that; which B. when; which

C. which; that D. when; who

4. Whatever is left over may be put into the refrigerator，         it will keep for two or three weeks.

A. when B. which C. where  D. while

5. Funny animal is a term used in comics and animated cartoons          the animals are given human characteristics.

A. where B. that C. why  D. as

6. Sales director is a position          communication ability is just as importance as sales.

A. which B. that C. when  D. where

7. The moment          Leo will never forget is          Mr Smith gave him a lot of valuable advice on how to improve his writing.

A. that; when B. that; that

C. when; that D. when; 不填

8. After the flooding， people were suffering in that area，         urgently needed clean water， medicine and shelter to survive.

A. which B. who

C. where D. what

參考答案

1～5 AABCA

6～8 DAB