A. 定義與目的:一個定義段落definition paragraph顧名思義是用來解釋某個特定事物的意義與特性,或有時候可能是定義一個抽象概念。
B.組織
1. 主題句中常會包括了三個部份:要定義的主題,主題所屬的類別,讓它與眾
不同的特色。
The Underground Railroad was a secret system that helped slaves
escape from the South to freedom in the North during the mid-
1800s.
Courage is the quality of being brave when you are facing something
that is dangerous or that you fear.
Causal Friday refers to the custom of office workers wearing casual
clothes to work on Fridays.
2. 支持句中必須用一些詳細的資料來完整的解釋主題。可以用問who, what,
where, when, how, why等疑問詞來找出可以提供的額外資料。或解釋一
個程序,給與例子等方式來支持你的論點。
3. 結論句中可以告訴讀者這個主題重要的原因,獨特之處等。
C. 同位格 Appositive
同位格是一個名詞或名詞片語,用來重述另一個名詞或名詞片語。
Fudge, a delicious chocolate candy, was invented as a result of a
cooking mistake.
同位語是並要的資訊(限定)時,不需要逗號。假如同位語為非並要資
訊(非限定)時,應該用兩個逗號把同位語跟句子的其他部份分開來。
My friend Tim got married last week.
Tim, my friend, got married last week.
當同位格的前面的先行詞antecedent是獨一無二的,或已經有最高級如
tallest, oldest, most interesting等形容時,其後的所有格一定是額未的資
訊,所以應用逗號隔開。
I have three sons. My son Carlos looks like me.
My youngest son, Javier, looks like his father.
E. 形容詞子句
形容詞子句,也叫做關係子句,是獨立子句的一種。整個子句當作形容詞,用來修飾名詞或代名詞。一般中文是用前衛修飾,把形容詞放在修飾名詞前面。例如說,我住在美國的姊姊有三個小孩。然而英文則常用後衛修飾,My sister
who lives in the U.S. has two children. 把形容詞或形容詞子句放到所要形容的名詞或代名詞後面。
名詞解釋
子句: 是由一組的字所組成,其中包括主詞與動詞。
獨立子句: 是一個完整的句子,其中包括主要的主詞與動詞,也叫主要子句。
非獨立子句: 是一個不完整的句子,由從屬連接詞,關係代名詞,疑問詞等為
首帶領的子句,雖然其中也包括了主詞與動詞,但是語意不完整,
需要與獨立子句結合,才能成為一個完整的句子。
形容詞子句: 是一個非獨立子句,由關係代名詞或關係副詞帶領的子句,用來
修飾一個名詞或代名詞。可用來描述,辨別,或給一個名詞更多
的資訊。形容詞子句也叫做關係子句。
關係代名詞: 也叫做形容詞子句代名詞。形容詞子句必須用關係代名詞來跟獨
立子句結合。關係代名詞放在形容詞子句的最前面,有who,
whom, which, that,跟whose。
先行詞: 形容詞子句所修飾的獨立子句的名詞或代名詞叫做先行詞。
My sister who lives in the U.S. has two children. 這個句子中:
My sister has two children 為主要子句,也就是獨立子句。
who lives in the U.S. 為形容詞子句,也就是非獨立子句,整句用來修飾 sister。who 為關係代名詞帶領整個形容詞子句
sister 為先行詞
限定性形容詞子句: 用來辨別,限定前面的先行詞所以是必要的,不可省略,
子句前後都不可以有逗點。
非限定性形容詞子句: 用來修飾前面的先行詞,給與額外的資訊,所以可
以省略,必須用逗號把它跟主要子句分開來。
My sister who lives in the U.S. has two children.
限定子句 (我有幾個姊姊其中一個有兩個小孩)
My sister, who lives in the U.S., has two children.
非限定子句 (我只有一個姊姊,她有兩個小孩)
形容詞子句的重點
第一,選擇正確的關係代名詞。
第二,注意形容詞子句的位置。應該盡量緊跟著先行詞。先行詞一定是名詞。
第三,注意形容詞子句為限定或非限定。標上需要的逗號。
第四,注意形容詞子句中的動詞與主詞須一致。
關係代名詞種類
主詞(主格) 受詞(受格) 介係詞+受詞 形容詞(所有格)
限定
人
who
that
whom
who
that
X whom…to
who…to
that… to
X… to
to whom whose
事,物 which
that which
that
X which …to
that… to
X… to
to which whose
非限定
人
who whom whom … to
to whom whose
事,物
which which which… to
to which whose
上面粗體字為正式用法
關係代名詞 :人 who, whom, whose, that
事,物 which, whose, that
關係副詞: 時間 when
地方 where
第一, 選擇正確的關係代名詞:
選擇關係代名詞。形容詞子句常為兩個句子的結合。關係代名詞應使用主格、所有格或受格是依形容詞子句中與先行詞重複的部分在形容詞子句的位置來決定。可將主要子句與形容詞子句分為兩個句子來看,找出重複的部分。
Ex1: My sister lives in Canada. My sister has two children.
My sister who has two children lives in Canada.
Ex2: My sister lives in Canada. My sister’s children are doctors.
My sister whose children are doctors lives in Canada.
Ex3: My sister lives in Canada. You talked to my sister last night.
My sister whom you talked to last night lives in Canada.
二. 關係代名詞的位置
關係代名詞所帶領的形容詞子句應緊接著先行詞,放在先行詞後面。先行詞一定是名詞,名詞片語或代名詞。
形容詞子句可能在句中也可能在句尾。
I have a friend who speaks five languages.
My friend who lives in Switzerland speaks five languages.
形容詞子句假如沒有緊接著先行詞容易造成誤解。
He left the car on the street that he had just bought.
He left the car that he had just bought on the street. (比較清楚)
形容詞子句有少數不直接跟在先行詞後面。通常是先行詞後有介系詞片語時,為了語意的完整,會放在介系詞片語的後面,但比較少見。
The first thanksgiving feast in the United States, which too place in
1621 lasted three days.
形容詞子句也可以用來修飾整個句子,這時用which來帶領形容詞子句,一定放在句尾,一定為非限定。
The team won the championship, which shocked the opponents.
三. 限定與非限定形容詞子句
限定子句 Restrictive(Identifying) Clause
用來定義或辨認(identify)先行詞,缺少這個限定子句時語義會不清楚,所以限定子句不可省略,不可使用逗號。that 只可以用在限定子句。
Every culture in the world has special days that people observe with
traditional food, customs, and events.
非限定子句 Nonrestrictive (Non-identifying) Clause
用來給予先行詞額外的補充資訊,非限定子句可以省略,所以非限定形容詞子句一定要用逗號將主要子句分隔開來。人名或專有名詞為先形詞時,後面幾乎都用非限定子句。
My favorite holiday is Moon Festival, which is on August 15 of the lunar
calendar.
四. 形容詞子句中的動詞
形容詞子句中的動詞必須跟形容詞子句中的主詞一致,按主動詞一致原則,所以必須依主詞不同來作動詞的變化。
A. 當關係代名詞是主格時,依先行詞做變化
Ben is my friend who lives in Boston.
Al and Ed are my friends who live in Boston.
B. 當關係代名詞是所有格時,依所有格+名詞,就是形容詞子句中的主詞做變化。
He’s the man whose dog barks all day.
He’s the man whose dogs bark all day.
C. 當關係代名詞是受格時,依形容詞子句中的主詞而變化。
I like the columns which he writes.
I like the column which they write.
五. 關係代名詞的受格的位置
關係代名詞的受格可作為介係詞的受詞。最正式的用法將介係詞放在關係代名詞前 (此時只可用whom代表人,which代表事物,不可以用who、that也不可以省略),非正式時將介係詞放在句尾,關係代名詞可省略。
The candidate for whom I voted lost the election. Formal
The candidate whom I voted for lost the election.
The candidate who I voted for lost the election.
The candidate that I voted for lost the election.
The candidate I voted for lost the election. Informal
六. 其他注意事項:
重複使用代名詞與所有格。關係代名詞帶領的形容詞子句中切記不要再重複關係
代名詞所代表的主詞,所有格或受詞。
Ex1: X: Scott is someone who he loves sports.
O: Scott is someone who loves sports.
Ex2: X: Scott is the man whose his dog barks all day.
O: Scott is the man whose dog barks all day.
Ex3: X: Scott is the writer whom I saw him on TV.
O: Scott is the writer whom I saw on TV.
七. 關係副詞where, when
where跟when皆為關係副詞,可用來帶領形容詞子句,別表地點與時間。可為限定或非限定子句。
where用在行容詞子句表達地點時,相當於”方位介系詞+which”,介系詞不可省。
That’s the library where she works.
That’s the library in which she works.
That’s the library which she works in.
That’s the library that she works in.
That’s the library she works in.
所以假如一個形容詞子句中沒有介系詞時,只能which時,不能用where。
例如合併下列兩個句子時,第一個句子的形容詞子句不可用where。
I was born in Taipei. Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan.
I was born and grew up in Taipei, which is the capital city of Taiwan.
Taipei, where I was born and grew up, is the capital city of Taiwan.
when用在形容詞子句來表達時間時, 相當於 ”時間介系詞+which”。除了將介系詞放在which前外,其他用法時介系詞都會省略掉。
I remember the day when I met him.
I remember the day on which I met him.
I remember the day that I met him.
I remember the day I met him.
關係代名詞的省略。在口語中常常會省可省略某些關係代名詞。
可以省略的:限定子句中的受格與when。
That’s the man (whom) I love.
I remember the day (when) I met him.
不可省略的:非限定子句中的所有關係代名詞,限定子句中的主格、所有格與
where。
I remember Max, who I visited often.
He is my friend who lives in New York.
That’s the writer whose books I like very much.
That’s the school where I work.
Translate the following sentences into English.
1. 我買了一支可以收發郵件的手機。
2. 我一個月前新買的手機已經成為我生活的一部份。
3. 我記得我害怕使用新電腦的日子。
4. 現在有心理學家幫助害怕科技的人(technophobes)來使用科技。
5. 心理學家 Michelle Weil 博士寫了一本有關科技壓力 (technostress)的書。
6. 我工作的辦公室中電腦軟體經常更換。
7. 很多在我辦公室工作的人受苦於(suffer)科技壓力。
8. 有些人夢想著一個不用用科技的工作。
1. I bought a cell phone I can use to send and receive email.
2. My new cell phone, which I bought a month ago, has become a necessary part of life.
3. I remember the day when I was afraid to use my new computer.
4. Now, there are psychologists who help technophobes use technology.
5. Dr. Michelle Weil, who is a psychologist, wrote a book about “technostress.”
6. I work in an office where the software changes frequently.
7. A lot of people who work in my office suffer from technostress.
8. Some people dream of a job they can do without technology.