進階 · Unit 56
關係詞 — 介系詞 + 受格關係代名詞
當先行詞是關係子句中介系詞的受詞時，把介系詞移到關係代名詞前面的書面語，以及把介系詞留在關係子句尾的口語，這兩種語序都可以用。意思相同，但正式程度差很多。
概念說明
當先行詞是關係子句中介系詞的受詞時，把介系詞移到關係代名詞前面的書面語，以及把介系詞留在關係子句尾的口語，這兩種語序都可以用。意思相同，但正式程度差很多。
A. 書面語 — 介系詞移到關係代名詞前面
在正式的文章裡，會把介系詞拉到關係代名詞前面，用「介系詞 + whom / which」這個組合來開始關係子句。請記住 介系詞 + whom (人) / 介系詞 + which (事物) 這一組搭配。
| 例子 | 介系詞 + 關係代名詞 |
|---|---|
| the house in which I live | in which |
| the person to whom I wrote | to whom |
| the company for which she works | for which |
| the tools with which he works | with which |
| the topic about which we talked | about which |
- The professor to whom I addressed the letter replied quickly. (我寄信給的那位教授很快就回覆了。)
- The chair on which she was sitting broke. (她當時坐的那張椅子壞了。)
- The company for which he works is well known. (他工作的那家公司很有名。)
- The topic about which they argued is complex. (他們爭論的那個主題很複雜。)
B. 口語 — 介系詞留在關係子句尾
日常口語中會把介系詞直接留在關係子句尾，關係代名詞則是 whom / which / that / who 都可以，甚至可以省略。這是母語者在對話、電子郵件、報導中壓倒性常用的自然說法。
| 書面語 | 口語 |
|---|---|
| the house in which I live | the house I live in |
| the person to whom I spoke | the person I spoke to |
| the company for which she works | the company she works for |
| the tools with which he works | the tools he works with |
- The man I was talking to is my colleague. (我當時在跟他說話的那位男士是我的同事。)
- The chair she was sitting on broke. (她當時坐的那張椅子壞了。)
- The bed I sleep in is very comfortable. (我睡的那張床非常舒服。)
- The topic they argued about is complex. (他們爭論的那個主題很複雜。)
C. 兩種形式的語氣差異與 that 的限制
兩種形式在文法上都正確，但語氣和使用場合不同，而且有 that 前面不能放介系詞 這條絕對規則，所以這個位置一定要用 whom / which。
| 形式 | 語氣 | 使用場合 |
|---|---|---|
| 介系詞 + whom / which (in which, to whom) | 正式、書面 | 論文、契約、正式的電子郵件 |
| 介系詞放在子句尾 (~ I live in, ~ I spoke to) | 自然、口語 | 日常對話、電子郵件、報導 |
| 介系詞 + that (in that, to that) | 不能使用 (X) | — |
- The office in which she works. (她工作的辦公室)
- The office she works in. (她工作的辦公室)
- The friend with whom I traveled. (和我一起旅行的那位朋友)
- The friend I traveled with. (和我一起旅行的那位朋友)
重點整理
- 1當先行詞是關係子句裡介系詞的受詞時，介系詞可以放到關係代名詞前面，也可以留在子句尾，請熟記這兩種語序。(例: in which I live / which I live in)
- 2書面語的「介系詞 + whom / which」一定要用 whom 或 which，that 絕對不會出現在這個位置，請遵守這條規則。(例: The house in which I live. — in that 不能用)
- 3口語(介系詞放在子句尾)中，關係代名詞可以自由選用 whom / who / which / that，甚至可以省略，請掌握這種彈性。(例: the man (whom / who / that / —) I spoke to)
- 4現代英文中口語形式用得頻繁得多，書面形式主要用在學術和正式的場合，請記住這樣的使用場合差異。
- 5加上 all of / some of / most of / one of 這類修飾語後，還可以擴展成 all of which、one of whom 這樣的形式，請了解這個應用。(例: I have three brothers, all of whom are doctors.)
例句
The house in which I live is very old.
我住的那間房子非常老舊。
The house which I live in is very old.
我住的那間房子非常老舊。
The person to whom I spoke was very kind.
和我談話的那個人非常親切。
The person I spoke to was very kind.
和我談話的那個人非常親切。
The company for which she works is huge.
她工作的那家公司非常大。
這個單元還有更多例句。註冊後可以看完整內容並聆聽發音。
容易犯的錯誤
The house in which I live is old.
The person to whom I spoke was kind.
The company for which she works is huge.
The chair which she was sitting on broke.
The topic about which we talked is complex.