I wanted to see if it was possible for the exercises I loved doing, that I had seen transform healthy older people, to work in an Alzheimer』s unit. 但是 I had seen transform 這塊有點看不懂


I wanted to see if it was possible for the exercises I loved doing, that I had seen transform healthy older people, to work in an Alzheimer』s unit. 但是

這句話主句結構是I wanted to see if it was possible for the exercises... to work in an Alzheimer』 unit. 其中,exercises有兩個限制性定語從句,第一個I loved doing省略引導詞that,第二個就不能省略了。你的疑惑是第二個定語從句(它不是主語從句),that I had seen transform healthy old people,that作had seen 的賓語,transform... 是動詞不定式短語作賓語補足語。"我想知道我喜歡的、我見證過使老年人變得健康的這些運動用在阿爾茲海默症上能不能管用「。

其實不必糾結於that前面那個逗號,這裡逗號用在兩個定語從句中間,應該是作者(或其他natives)的習慣,用停頓來代替and。


這句話題主不是在「正牌」書刊報紙上看到的吧?很可能是某個 blog 上的:因為寫得很隨意,語法上並不嚴謹,不像是出自 100% 靠筆杆子吃飯的作家、記者、編輯之手,或至少是不曾經過編輯把關的。

題主如果還在被類似這樣的長句困擾的話,其實目前 還 不 適合看英美人寫的博客,因為大多數的博客里,這類「半病句」太多了,對你提高英語水平沒什麼好處。同樣花時間讀英文的東西,不如多看一些起碼經過編輯把關的文字。

這句話如果把它寫得正規一些的話,應該是: I wanted to see if it was possible for the exercises, which I loved doing and which I had seen transform healthy older people, to work in an Alzheimers unit. 2 個 which 指的都是 the exercises。


相信金老師及其他幾位答主已經為題主解惑了。我說說這倆定語從句。按題主在金老師的回答下的回復,我看了下原文。這是Psychology Today記者/編輯與英語教授、戲劇藝術博士Anne Basting之間的訪談錄。題主發的這句話是Basting的回答部分。

按金老師說法改為並列定語從句確實更地道,但表現不出從句套從句的緊密邏輯關係。限制性定語從句中,一個先行詞後接兩個以上連環式(或稱嵌入式)定語從句:N+定語從句1+定語從句2……,這時,定語從句2的先行詞是「N+定語從句1」這個整體,也就是經過定語從句1限定過的N為先行詞。

至於that前加了逗號,我的理解是表示停頓,以防誤解:I wanted to see if it was possible for the exercises I loved doing that I had seen transform healthy older people, to work in an Alzheimer』s unit. 此時把I loved doing看作exercises的定語從句,然後將that看作指示代詞,後面省略關係代詞which,that作doing的賓語。凌亂不堪。而加了逗號就免去這些歧義。

所以,這個that前儘管有逗號,理解和翻譯時依舊得按限制性定語從句處理。

說起Psychology Today,本文的記者和編輯Abigail Fagan的簡歷上這麼寫的:She has a bachelor』s degree from the University of Rochester where she majored in cognitive science and minored in English literature. 看來只能將限制性定從理解為非限了。


if 到句尾是賓從。

其中 it 是形式主語,實際主語是句末的不定式短語 to work in an Alzheimer』s unit。

而 that I had seen transform healthy older people 這部分按照意思和其本身的結構,應該是 that 引導的定從,與其前面的 I love doing 一樣是修飾 exercises 的。不過我還是第一次看到兩個限制性定從修飾同一個先行詞時用逗號連接的。


1.I wanted to see if it was possible for the exercises to work in an Alzheimer』s unit. (句子主幹,I wanted to see)

2."to see"後的"if"引導賓語從句。其中it指代to work in an Alzheimers unit, 動詞短語作主語。

3.(the exercises) I loved doing, (the exercises) that I had seen transform healthy older people, (定語從句)

4.I had seen transform healthy older people = I had seen (the exercies) transform healty older people.


我認為應該是定語從句。

大概的主幹 I want to see if it was possible for the exercises to work in an Alzheimers unit. (我想知道這類練習/鍛煉在這種針對阿爾茲海默症患者的特殊病房裡是否有可能有用。)

我的感覺是 "I love doing" 和 "that I had seen transform....." 兩個從句都是定語從句,修飾的是先行詞 "the exercises",第一個從句省略掉了關係代詞(因為先行詞做了直接賓語),後一個句子似乎是因為沒有直接和先行詞相連,所以它的引導詞(關係代詞)that不可省略。

用到的結構是see sb./sth. do something (看到某人/某物做了某事),所以第二個定語從句"that I had seen transform....."如果帶入回原本的先行詞exercises變回完整句子應該是"I had seen these (kind of) exercises transform healthy old people." (大概意思應該是"我曾經見到過這樣的鍛煉方法讓老人們變得健康"? 我瞎翻譯的hhh 不是很嚴謹)


重點是 I loved doing和that i had seen 都是說exercises的,所以是從that i had seen 這裡斷開。簡化一下,exercises transform healthy older people to work in Alzheimers unit.


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