The Usages of Attributive Clause in English
Weiyuan Middle School
Huang Li（黄丽）
As is known to all,attributive clause plays an imporant role in the entrance examination.The-
refore,we must pay special attention to it.In this paper,its imporance and usages will be introduced in detail. Considering its essential part in the entrance examination,students who will take part in it must know how to use it correctly.Take the part of composition for example,if the students are able to make several sentences with the structure of attributive clause ,they will be surely given a good mark.Now, in this paper, there are mainly five points that will be discussed.First,its definition;seco-
nd, the usages of relative pronouns and relative advs; third,the different usages between that and which;fourth,some fixed phrases of as;fifth,the conclusion of the essay.
I .The definition of attributive clause
Generally speaking, attributive clause is a sentence that is used to modify a noun or a pronoun, called antecedents in attributive clause, and this noun or pronoun will take up a certain place in the attributive clause, such as a subject, an object, time of an adv, place of an adv or reason of an adv. How to choose between relative pronouns and relative advs is the key to solving the problems in the entrance examination. So, how many relative pronouns are there?and how many relative advs are there?In all,there are six relative pronouns,and three relative advs.
II①The usages of relative pronounns
As is mentioned above,there are mainly six relative pronouns,which are who,whom,which,that,
whose and as.The five words before as will be focused on in this part.When it refers to a person,
who or whom will be considered. Using who,students will definitely know that this person will act as a sbuject in the attributive clause. For example,Sentence1:Women who drink more than two cups of coffee a day have a greater chance of having heart disease than those who do not.Sentence2:I,
who am a friend of yours, will do all I can to help you.Sentence3:The girl who everybody had thought would win a gold medal failed at last.Sentence4:You are the only person who can help him.Sentence5:In the past few years,“My heart will go on”was a popular song among young people, who were often heard singing it at parties.
Using whom, they must know that it takes the place of an object in it. Here are some examples. Sentence1:We should not spend our money testing so many people, most of whom are healthy. Sentence2:John,for whom money was now no problem, started a new company with his friends. Sentence3:The audience, most of whom were students, enjoyed the performance. Sentence4:The artist to whom the judge gave a prize is the teacher; by whom I have been taught painting for two years. Sentence5:I was so eager to leave that when I stood in the hall, ready to leave, I did not even think of saying good-bye to the friends with whom I had eaten and slept for so many weeks.
Instead, when it refers to something, which and that will be used, they can be used as a subject, an object and so on. Besides, the two relative pronouns can be cancelled when they are used as an object. There are some examples that can illustrate it.Sentence1:The film which(that)is on today is very interesting.Sentence2:Here is the thing that(which)I am looking for.Sentence3:We are discussing the problem which(that)you talked about yesterday. Sentence4:Books that were written by Lu xun can be bought in this bookstore.
②The usages of relative advs
There are three relative advs, which are why, when and where.
First, when the antecedent is about reason, and it acts as an adv in the attributive clause, we will use “why”. For example,sentence1:we do not know the reason why you didn’t go to school. Sentence2:why was professor white unhappy these days? Sorry, I don’t know the reason why he was not happy.
Second, when the antecedent is about time, and it plays the role of an adv,“when” will be used. For example, sentence one: Do you still remember the day when you joined the army? In this sentence, the day is an antecedent, and it acts as an adv in the attributive clause. So, when is chosen. Sentence two: Occasions are quite rare when I have the time to spend a day with my kids. In it, Occasions are about time, acting as an adv. Therefore, choosing when is correct. Sentence three: We will put off the meeting until next week, when we won’t so busy. Next week is an antecedent in this sentence, which acts as an adv of time. So, when is chosen. Sentence four: I will never forget those years when I lived in the country with the farmers. As is analyzed above, when is used correctly. Sentence five: when did you meet him? It was on the day when his house was on fire that I met him. The day is the antecedent, playing the role of an adv of time, therefore, when is adopted. Sentence six: Major will make an inspection of our school on Monday, when you can tell him how hard the situation we are in.
Third, when the antecedent is about place, playing the role of an adv of place, we will consider adopting where. For example, Sentence one: Great changes have taken place in the town where I was born. The antecedent is the town, taking the place of an adv of place，therefore, where is chosen. Sentence two: Some pre-school children go to a day care center, where they learn some simple games and songs. The antecedent is a day care center, playing as an adv of place, and where is used. Sentence three: I can think of many cases where students obviously knew a lot of English words and expressions but couldn’t write a good essay. The antecedent is cases. Sentence four: We will be shown around the city schools, museums and some other places, where other visitors seldom go. Sentence six: He has got himself into a dangerous situation where he is likely to lose control over the plane. The antecedent is a dangerous situation, where is chosen because situation is taking the place of an adv of place.
III.The differences usages between that and which
There are mainly five cases in which that can be used only.
First, when the antecedent is an indefinite pronoun, such as, all, everything, anything, nothing, something, little, much, only that can be used. For example,sentence one:Only a scientist could understand all that this pursuit meant. Sentence two: I am sure she has something that you can borrow. Sentence three: Everything that we saw was of great interest to us. Sentence four: There is little that I can use. Sentence five: I have read all the books that you gave me. Sentence six: All that glitters is not gold. Sentence seven: Is there anything that I can do for you?
Second, when the antecedent is modified by the only, the very, the just, that can be used only. For example, sentence one: That white flower is the only one that I really like. Sentence two: This is the very book that I want to find. Sentence three: The last place that we visited was the chemical workshop.
Third, 当先行词被序数词或形容词的最高级修饰时，只能用that. For example, sentence one: This is the first composition that he has written in English. Sentence two: The smallest living things that can be seen under a microscope are bacteria. Sentence three: This is the best novel that I have ever read.
Fourth,当先行词既有人，又有物时，只能用that.如，Sentence one: He talked about the teachers and schools that he had visited. Sentence two: They talked about persons and things that they remembered in the school.
Fifth,当主句是以who 或which开始的特殊问句时，在定语从句中，只能用that.如，Sentence one: Who is the person that is standing at the gate? 站在门口的人是谁？Sentence two: Which of us that knows something about physics does not know this?
There are mainly two cases where which is used. First,在非限制性定语从句当中，which既能指代前面的名词或代词，也可指代整个句子，在从句中充当主语或宾语时，只能用which.如，Sentence one: He was late for school, which made the teacher very angry.他上学迟到这事让老师生气.Sentence two: The sun gives off light and heat, which makes it possible for plants to grow.
Second, in the attributive clause,介词后面只能用which.如，Sentence one: I never forget the day on which I joined the party. Sentence two: This is the factory in which my father used to work.
IV.Some fixed phrases of as
For example, the same…as, such…as. Sentence one: This is the same thing as we are in need of. As is reported in the newspapers,正如报上所报道的一样.As is known to all,众所周知.As is mentioned above,如上述所说.As I explained on the phone,正如我在电话上所解释的一样.
V.Generally speaking, in this essay, four important points of attributive clause are illustrated in detail. As a reader, you can find sufficient information about attributive clause. Its especial importance taken into consideraton, we English lovers, should definitely know how to master it well. As the proverb says, practise makes perfect. Therefore, only by practicing more and studying hard can we make greater progress than before. All in all, expecting that you can get what you want, I will be appreciated.
来源：威远中学 编辑：威远中学