關係子句：幫你省字的句子外掛

想像你在一間擁擠的咖啡店描述朋友：「She is the person. She is wearing a green jacket. She helped me study last week. She has the laptop with stickers.」這樣可以，但聽起來像每個句子都各自抵達，而且拒絕坐在一起。

關係子句讓英文能順順地連接這些想法："She is the person who helped me study last week." 一個句子，少一點重複，多一點流動。

Quick Answer

關係子句會提供名詞的更多資訊。它通常以 who、which、that、where 或 when 等關係詞開頭。

• The woman who called you is my manager.
• I found the notebook that I lost yesterday.
• This is the cafe where we met.
• Monday is the day when the new schedule begins.

人物用 who，事物或動物用 which，許多限定性子句中的人物或事物都可用 that，地點用 where，時間用 when。

The Pattern

先放一個名詞，再加上一個辨認或描述它的子句。

noun + relative word + extra information

• the student who asked the question
• the file that you uploaded
• the restaurant where we had lunch
• the year when everything changed

有兩大類：限定性與非限定性。

Defining Relative Clauses

限定性子句告訴我們你指的是哪個人或哪個東西。沒有它，句子會不完整或太模糊。

• The book that you recommended was excellent.
• People who sleep well often learn faster.
• The room where we met was too small.

不使用逗號，因為資訊是必要的。

Non-Defining Relative Clauses

非限定性子句加入額外資訊。名詞本身已經清楚。

• My laptop, which I bought last year, is already full.
• Lena, who works in marketing, designed the poster.
• The library, where I study on weekends, closes at six.

使用逗號，因為子句是附加資訊。拿掉它，主要句子仍然成立。

重要：that 通常不用在非限定性子句中。說 "My laptop, which I bought last year"，不要說 "My laptop, that I bought last year."

Natural Examples

People

• The teacher who explained the rule saved us twenty minutes.
• The friend that sent the link was right.
• Anyone who has tried this exercise knows it is harder than it looks.

想清楚指向人時，用 who。That 在限定性子句裡也很常見，尤其在日常口語中。

Things

• The app that tracks my habits is surprisingly honest.
• The chair which broke yesterday has been replaced.
• I read an article that changed how I plan my week.

對事物來說，that 在限定性子句裡非常常見。Which 在許多情況也正確，尤其在較正式的寫作中。

Places

• This is the office where I had my first interview.
• I found a quiet corner where nobody was talking.
• The hotel where we stayed had a rooftop garden.

當名詞是地點時，where 可以取代 "in which" 或 "at which"。

Times

• Friday is the day when the results come out.
• I remember the moment when the lights went out.
• Summer is the season when the city feels slower.

When 會把額外資訊連到時間名詞上。

Leaving Out the Relative Word

當 who、which 或 that 是子句中的受詞時，有時可以省略：

• The movie that we watched was strange.

• The movie we watched was strange.

• The person who I called did not answer.

• The person I called did not answer.

但當它是主詞時，不要省略：

• The person who called me was polite.
• Not: The person called me was polite.

第二個版本聽起來像那個人把你叫作 polite，故事就變成另一回事了。

Which or That?

在日常限定性子句中，談事物時 that 常常是簡單選擇：

• The file that I downloaded is corrupted.
• The idea that changed my mind was surprisingly simple.

Which 也常用於事物，尤其是子句補充額外資訊時：

• The file, which I downloaded this morning, is corrupted.
• The idea, which sounded strange at first, worked well.

如果想要實用規則：子句是必要資訊、沒有逗號時，用 that。子句是額外資訊、有逗號時，用 which。真實用法有彈性，但這個規則能讓大多數寫作保持乾淨。

The Two-Sentence Test

建立關係子句的一個好方法，是先從兩個簡單句開始：

• I met a designer. The designer built this app.

• I met a designer who built this app.

• We visited a town. The town has no traffic lights.

• We visited a town that has no traffic lights.

如果第二句重複第一句的名詞，那個重複名詞的位置就是放關係詞的地方。這能讓子句貼在正確名詞旁邊，也能幫你避免多餘代名詞，例如 "the app that I downloaded it."

Common Traps

Trap 1: Using Which for People

"The woman which helped me" 聽起來不對。用 who 或 that："The woman who helped me" 或 "The woman that helped me."

Trap 2: Forgetting Commas

比較：

• My brother who lives in Boston is visiting. 這暗示我可能不只一個 brother，我指的是住在 Boston 的那位。
• My brother, who lives in Boston, is visiting. 這表示我有一位 brother，並補充額外資訊：他住在 Boston。

逗號可以改變意思。

Trap 3: Using That After a Comma

非限定性子句要用 which 或 who：

• The camera, which was expensive, broke after a week.
• The speaker, who arrived late, apologized.

Trap 4: Adding Extra Pronouns

"The book that I bought it was expensive" 多了一個代名詞。關係詞已經連接受詞。說 "The book that I bought was expensive."

Trap 5: Confusing Where With Which

當名詞是地點，而且子句意思是「在那個地方」時，用 where。當地點名詞在子句裡做別的工作時，用 which。

• The cafe where we met is closed.
• The cafe which opened last year is closed.

Trap 6: Making the Clause Too Far From the Noun

讓關係子句靠近它描述的名詞。"I found a notebook in the drawer that had a red cover" 可能聽起來像 drawer 有紅色封面。更好："I found a notebook that had a red cover in the drawer." 如果句子還是太擠，就拆成兩句。順暢的寫作比硬把每個細節塞進一長串更重要。

Wrong / Better / Why

Mini Practice

選出最佳關係詞：who、which、that、where 或 when。

1. The student _____ won the prize looked shocked.
2. This is the park _____ we play tennis.
3. I found the keys _____ I lost yesterday.
4. My tablet, _____ I use for reading, needs charging.
5. Saturday is the day _____ we clean the apartment.
6. The article _____ explained the issue was very clear.
7. The manager, _____ joined last month, is leading the project.
8. The restaurant _____ opened downtown is already popular.

Answer Key

1. who 或 that - 正在辨認一個人。
2. where - 子句指向地點。
3. that 或省略關係詞 - keys 是子句受詞。
4. which - 關於事物的非限定性子句。
5. when - 名詞是時間。
6. that 或 which - 正在辨認一個事物。
7. who - 關於人的非限定性子句。
8. that 或 which - restaurant 是關係子句的主詞。

Tiny Summary

關係子句會替名詞加入資訊。

人用 who，事物用 which，地點用 where，時間用 when。

That 可用於許多限定性子句，但不要用在逗號後。

逗號表示子句是額外資訊。

關係子句能連接屬於同一件事的想法，幫你省字。