Analysis of Commonly Tested Clauses in Professional English Tests in 2010:Attributive Clauses

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I. Key Points 1. Function: Functions as an adjective, modifying nouns or pronouns and serving as an attributive in a sentence. 2. Position: The attributive clause comes after the word it modifies. Those who are willing to attend the party, sign here please. 3. Antecedent: The word modified by the attributive clause is called the antecedent. (1) Antecedents are generally nouns and indefinite pronouns, such as some-, any-, every-, and no, as well as compounds formed with -boy and -thing； Or pronouns such as all, none, any, some, that, those, etc. Numerals can also serve as antecedents, and personal pronouns can do the same. (2) There is an equivalent relationship between the antecedent and the relative word. Two points must be noted: ① When the antecedent acts as the subject in a clause, the number of the verb in the clause is determined by the antecedent. This is the place which is worth visiting. ②The relative word functions as a component in the subordinate clause; it carries the same meaning as the antecedent, so its meaning cannot be repeated in the clause. There are many places we can visit in China. 4. Relative words: Those used to introduce relative clauses are called relative words. Relative pronouns: who, whom, which, that, whose, as. Relative adverbs: when, where, why. that is occasionally used as a relative adverb as well. 5. Steps to identify relative words: (1) First, find the relative word and determine what the antecedent refers to. (2) Determine the part of speech that the relative word plays in the subordinate clause. 6. In attributive clauses, when the antecedent refers to a thing, the relative pronoun that should be used instead of which in the following situations: (1) when the antecedent is modified by ① the superlative form of adjectives, ② ordinal numbers, ③ numerals, or ④ words such as only, any, few, little, no, all, one of, etc. (2) When the antecedent is an indefinite pronoun such as all, much, little, none, few, one, something, anything, etc. (3) When the antecedent refers to both people and things. He was looking pleasantly at the children and parcels that filled his bus. (4) When the antecedent functions as a predicate in the main clause and the relative word functions as a predicate in the subordinate clause. The village is no longer the one that was 5 years ago. (5) When the main clause contains the interrogative word which. Which are the books that you bought for me? 7. Situations where ‘which’ should be used instead of ‘that’: (1) in non-restrictive relative clauses; (2) when there is a preposition before the relative pronoun; (3) when the antecedent itself is ‘that’; (4) when the relative pronoun is far away from the antecedent. 8. When the relative pronouns ‘who’ and ‘that’ are used to refer to people, there are also different situations that require the use of each pronoun separately: (1) when the main clause is in the there be structure, ‘who’ should be used as the relative pronoun. (2) When the antecedent is words such as anyone, those, someone, everyone, one, etc., the relative pronoun used is who. (3) When the main clause uses who as the interrogative word, the relative word is that. Who is that girl that is standing by the window? (4) In a subordinate clause, “whom” functions only as an object and can be replaced by “who”. 9. When used as a relative pronoun, whose refers to both people and things, and functions as an attributive in the subordinate clause. For example: Do you know Mr. Smith whose story is very moving? There is a room, whose window faces the river. There is a room, the window of which faces the river. 10. The relative pronoun as can function as the subject, object, and predicate in a subordinate clause. (1) When the antecedent is modified by such and the same, or in structures such as as many (much), the subordinate clause is introduced by as. Books like the ones you bought are useful. The school is just the same as it was 10 years ago. Note: Difference ① A result adverbial clause introduced by such … that …. They are such lovely children that we love them very much. ②The same … that … is used to introduce attributive clauses. I want to use the same tool that you used just now. (2) Attributive clauses without a antecedent are introduced by as and which. Difference: ① In meaning: as implies “this is just like...”. ②In terms of position: the as clause can be placed at the beginning of the sentence or elsewhere. He didn’t pass the exam, as we had expected. There is a lot of air in loose snow, which can keep the cold out. As is known, the earth is round, not flat. 11. Relative adverbs: when, where, why, that. When refers to time = in / at / on / during which; where refers to place = in / at / from / which; why refers to reason = for which. When the antecedent is way, day, reason, or time, that can be used as a relative adverb. (Informal) I don’t like the way that / in which / he talks. When \"time\" is the antecedent, the relative word can be omitted. This is the first time I have given you a French lesson. 12. Points to note: (1) The number of the verb in the subordinate clause when a relative word functions as the subject. (2) Pay attention to distinguishing relative clauses from emphasis sentences. ①In a relative clause, the relative word functions as a component of the clause; it is part of a complex sentence. ②It is emphasized that it is meaningless, and that/who are not subordinating words. ③It is emphasized that if the sentence makes sense after it is / was and that / who, then it is an emphatic sentence; otherwise, it is not. It is the museum that/which we visited last year. (Attributive clause) It was in the hotel that we stayed last night. (Emphatic sentence) (3) The difference between attributive clauses and appositive clauses. ①The words that introduce attributive clauses are called relative words; that functions as the subject, object, or predicate. It can sometimes be omitted. ②The subordinating word in an appositive clause is called a conjunction; that cannot function as any part of speech and cannot be omitted. Word came that their army was defeated. (Appositive) We expressed to them our wish which was the same as theirs. (Attributive) (4) Cases where relative words are omitted in clauses. ①When a relative word functions as an object and there is no preposition before it. ②Relative words function as predicates. (5) Translation of restrictive and non-restrictive attributive clauses. (6) When there is a preposition or a complex preposition before the relative word, the relative word can only be which and whom. (7) Several special adverbial clause structures: ① He is the only one of the students who has got very good marks in the match. (Here, “one” is the antecedent.) He is one of the students who have got good marks in the match. (Here, “students” is the antecedent.) ② Is this place the one (that) we visited yesterday? Is this the place (that/which) we visited yesterday? ③ He stood at the window, from where he could see what was happening. ④ It may rain; in which case the match will be put off. II. Guidance on classic questions – Multiple-choice questions: 1. The film brought the hours back to me _________ I was taken good care of in that faraway village. A. until B. that C. when D. where. Explanation: The answer is C. This question tests the selection of relative words to separate attributive clauses. The key to solving this problem is to be able to identify that the antecedent of the relative clause, \"the hours\", and the relative word are separated by the prepositional phrase \"to me\". The antecedent of the relative clause is the noun \"hours\" which denotes time, and since the relative word functions as an adverb in the clause, the relative adverb indicating time, \"when\", should be chosen. 2. ___________ is known to everybody, the Sun travels around the Earth once every month. A. It B. As C. That D. What Explanation: The answer is B. This question tests non-restrictive attributive clauses introduced by as. As is interpreted as “just as…”, the non-restrictive relative clause introduced by it modifies the entire sentence. When as functions as the subject in a subordinate clause, it is often used in phrases such as as is known, as is said, as is reported, as is announced, etc. It is important to master the usage of relative pronouns to introduce attributive clauses. 3. After living in Paris for fifty years he returned to the small town ___________ he grew up as a child. A.which B.where C.that D.when Explanation: The answer is B. This question tests the selection of relative words in restrictive attributive clauses. The antecedent of the relative clause is the noun phrase \"the small town\" which indicates a location; moreover, the relative word does not function as the subject or object in the relative clause but rather as an adverbial of place. Therefore, the relative clause must be introduced by the relative adverb \"where\". It is important to identify the part of speech that the antecedent plays in the clause, and then choose the appropriate relative word.