疑难句解析（8）

双重定语

嘉中

读到一个句子：

The  most accurate description I have heard of a leader is the person who knows

what to do in a given situation.

我听过的对领导最准确的描述是，知道在特定情况下该做什么的人。

  

句子 I have heard of a leader 应该是修饰名词 description。不过问题来了。如果把它

看作省略关系代词 that 的定语从句，而 I have heard of a leader 是一个完整的句子，

不缺句子成分，那么that在从句中作什么成分，说不通呀。

原来，应该这么来理解。description (that) I have heard  定语从句， of a reader 介词

短语。一个定语从句和一个介词短语共同修饰名词 description，都是 description 的定

语，是英语中双重定语表达之一。

给另一个例子，句子用一个非限定性定语从句和一个介词短语共同修饰名词，也许你看起来

一目了然了。

Here is an example, which I heard at a nurses’ convention, of a story which works

well because the audience all shared the same view of doctors.

下面举一个例子，它是我在一个护士大会上听到的。这个故事效果很好，因为听众对

医生都有同样的看法。

Predicting a global recession usually means standing out from the crowd. Today it is

those saying the world economy will avoid a downturn / who are sticking their 

necksout.     （现在分词短语 + 定语从句）

预测全球衰退通常意味着鹤立鸡群。如今，那些说世界经济将避免衰退的人在冒险。

At that time was a village of twenty adobe houses, built on the bank of a river of 

clear water that ran along a bed of polished stones, which were white and

enormous, like prehistoric eggs。  (一个介词短语 + 定语从句)

村庄建在一条清水河的河岸上，这条河在磨光的石子砌就的河床上奔流。

当时，Macondo是一个有二十幢土坯房的村庄，建在河边，河水清澈，河水沿着一层

磨光的石头流过，石头又白又大，像史前的鸡蛋。