非限制性定语从句的修饰对象主要有以下两种情况:
修饰先行词
非限制性定语从句最常见的功能是补充说明先行词(如名词或代词)的信息。例如:
> The book that I read last night was really interesting.
在这个句子中,"that I read last night" 是非限制性定语从句,修饰先行词 "The book",补充说明是“我昨晚读过的那本书”。
修饰整个主句
非限制性定语从句有时会修饰整个主句,提供背景信息或补充说明。例如:
> He seems not to have grasped what I meant, which greatly upsets me.
在这里,"which greatly upsets me" 是非限制性定语从句,修饰整个主句,说明“他似乎没抓住我的意思”这一情况让我很心烦。
补充说明
非限制性定语从句与主句之间通常用逗号隔开,且从句中关系代词(如which、that)不可省略;
若先行词为物,关系代词用which;若先行词为人,用who/whom;
需注意:当先行词为整个主句时,常用as引导(如:This problem, which we have discussed, is very important.)。