一、同位语从句的位置与定语从句的比较
1、同位语从句与定语从句一样,都是用在名词后面。所不的就是:定语从句是修饰限制它前面的名词,因此,它是属于形容词从句。而同位语从句属于名词性从句,它是用来说明它前面的名词内容的,或者说是解释前面名词的内容。
2、同位语从句只用that作为开头(I have no idea除外),属于连词,在从句中不起成分作用,但不可省略。而定语从句是以关系代词、关系副词开头,它们在从句中起句子成分作用(作主语、宾语、表语、定语或状语),作宾语时可以省略。
3、只有在内容方面可以进一步阐明的名词(一般为抽象名词)才能带同位语从句,而几乎任何名词都可以带定语从句。
比较:
(1)The suggestion (that) she has given at the meeting is good.
(2)The suggestion that she should stay in the room is good.
(1) 句中that she has given at the meeting这个从句说明了是她提出的建议,不是别人的建议,也就是限定了the suggestion的范围,但并没有说明建议的内容。从结构上分析,that是give的宾语,所以这个从句是定语从句。
(2)句的that she should stay in the room这个从句说明了建议的内容,同时,that只起连词作用,在从句中既不是主语,也不是宾语,但不能省略,所以它是同位语从句。
二、同位语从句前常用的名词
同位语从句说明的名词常见的有:ability, advice, answer,belief, doubt, discovery, fact, fear, hope, idea, information, message,news, order, possibility, problem, proposal, question, story, suggestion, theory, thought, word(消息)等。而不可说明的名词是不会接同位语从句的。比如:man, water, sun等具体的人或事物。例如:
There is no doubt that the prices of cars will go down.
The belief that the company will make a great is shared by everyone.
三、 where, when, why, how, who, what等在引导同位语从句时,一般只用于I have no idea结构中,其实,这种类型的同位语从句应该列入宾语从句的范畴,因为I have no idea意思就是I don’t know...
如:I have no idea where I should go.
I have no idea how I can get to the railway station.
四、有时候主句的谓语比较短,同位语从句比较长,这个从句就不一定紧接在它所说明的名词后面。如:
Word(消息) came that our Chinese women team had beaten Japanese.