stage作先行词引发的问题和探讨

    不久前，下面这道题引发了我们对stage作先行词之后的定语从句引导词的问题以及其它类似定于从句的探讨， 

 先看一道题:

The conflict had developed into a stage ______ the two countries were gathering big troops on the border.   

（2009学年第二学期浙东北（zdb）三校期中联考高二英语试卷（2010.05））

a. where           b. when            c. which             d. that   

本题到底是选a还是选b？关键问题在于对先行词stage的理解，根据《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》（第七版）简作（oald）的解析：stage: a period of state that sb./sth. passes through while developing or making progress. 既可以理解为事件“(进展或进展的)阶段， 状态”; 又可以理解为“时期”。而上题中作“阶段”或“时期”都理解的通。

再看stage的用法;

 *stage名词 n. [c] 

1.舞台

some girls are dancing on the stage.   一些女孩在舞台上跳舞。

2.注意中心,活动舞台,场所

3.(进展的)阶段;时期

a caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.

表示这些意思时，当stage作先行词后有定语从句时，。

例句：1.表地点:  the stage where the girls are going to dance is in the gym.

           2.表时期:  the stage when he is preparing for his study is really important.

不同的叙述：

①当先行词为case，condition，situation，position，point，stage等名词，表示情况、方面、处境时用关系副词where.

②当先行词是case, condition, situation, position, point, stage 等名词时，表示情况、方面、处境时，用关系副词where.但先行词是occasion时，用关系副词when.

③当 situation, condition, stage, point，scenes 做先行词时，用 where 引导定语从句

④先行词通常是 time, day, season, age, occasion 等时间名词时其后的定语从句用when引导.

事实上, 当先行词 occasion, point, stage等名词是表示时间节点的时候，其后的定语从句就用when引导，在从句中作时间状语. 例如：

1. i can remember very few occasions when he had to cancel because of ill health.（oald）

我记得他因健康不佳而被迫取消的情况绝无仅有。when引导定语从句，在从句中作时间状语.

2.（2008·山东·26） occasions are quite rare ___________i have the time to spend a day with my kids.

a. who      b. which   c. why   d. when 

答案选d。考查定语从句。此题关键是要根据句意判定是定语从句。句意为：我有时间和孩子们一起度过一天的机会很少。occasions 是先行词, 所选关系词在定语从句中要作时间状语, 故选d项

3. we had reached the point when there was no money. 我们那时已到了没有一分钱的时刻。point表示“某一阶段,关头”， 所以其后用when 引导定语从句。

4. there comes a point in your life when you realize: who matters, who never did, who won't anymore

5. china is now at a stage of accelerated industrialization and urbanization when the contradiction between economic growth and environmental protection is particularly prominent.

中国目前正处于工业化和城市化加速发展的阶段,此时经济增长和环境保护之间的矛盾十分突出。source: hard times call for green economy/by hu shaowei (china daily 03/24/2010 page8)

 

但更多情况是：position，situation, stage, case等，作先行词时，其后的定语从句应用where引导定语从句。如：

1.oxford dictionary online

more examples introducing a clause with 'when ' can be found but it is hard to find an example with 'where' after 'occasion'.

2.it is the same with longman dictionary

"under these conditions, where we see so much uncertainty with leadership succession, possible instability, we see no arms control, we see no confidence building measures, we see no disarmament, we see north korea refusing to return to the six-party talks, we see the sinking of the cheonan and potential clashes in the west sea around the northern limit line. so a lot of people are just saying this is just not the right time," pinkston said.  voa news.

it is the same with ' situation'.

"it moves from a situation where only those items on the permitted list can come into gaza to a situation where things come into gaza as a matter of course unless they are on the prohibited list. it allows us to facilitate the united nations projects for reconstruction in things like schools and hospital and water sanitation and so on." bbc news新闻 20100621

3.we were put in a position in which(=where) we had either to accept we were less important, or fight the government.(人教版新课标高中英语必修1 line25.p34)

我们被置于这样一种境地，或者是被迫承认我们低人一等，或者是与政府作斗争。

这是一个主从复合句，in which引导定语从句，修饰先行词position。

4. can you think of a situation where you once felt embarrassed?

你能设想起你曾经有过感到很窘迫的场合吗?

5.he is the boss of the restaurant where （= in which） we often have lunch.

6. the last thirty years have seen the greatest number of laws stopping our rights and progress until today we have reached a stage where we have almost no rights at all.

 (人教版新课标高中英语必修1 line19-20 p34)

注意： 近年来高考对关系副词where的考查趋于复杂化，从先行词为明显的“地点”发展为“模糊的地点化”。事实上，当先行词表示某事物发展的某个situation“情景”、stage“阶段”或某种程度时都可以用where引导定语从句。所以文章开头那道题答案为a.

更多的列子如：

1.（2009·福建·24）  It’s helpful to put children in a situation ________they can see themselves differently.

a. that          b. when          c. which           d. where

2.（2009·浙江14）i have reached a point in my life _______i am supposed to make decisions of my own.

a. which          b. where        c. how        d. why

3. an iraqi reporter during a news conference ________threw his shoes at bush and called  him a dog in arabic shocked the world.

a. who         b. where          c. whom       d. which

1.【解析】选d。考查定语从句。句意为：把孩子放在一个能使他们从另外一个角度认识自己的环境中对他们有益。当先行词是case, condition, situation, position, point, stage等名词表示“情况, 方面, 处境”时, 关系副词用where。

2. 【解析】选b。考查定语从句。句意为：我已经到了应该自己作决定的那个人生阶段。先行词point和定语从句被介词短语in my life隔开。当先行词是case, condition, situation, position, point, stage等名词表示“情况、方面、处境”时, 定语从句用关系副词where引导。how不能用来引导定语从句; which在定语从句中作主语或宾语; why引导定语从句时先行词应为reason; 因此可排除选项a、c和d。

3. 【解析】选d。考查定语从句。此题关键是要根据句意判定是定语从句。句意为：我有时间和孩子们一起度过一天的机会很少。occasions 是先行词, 所选关系词在定语从句中要作时间状语, 故选d项。

类似的还有如：

4.those successful deaf dancers think that dancing is an activity ____sight matters more than hearing. 

a. when       b. whose      c. which        d. where

这道题中的 activity 做地点状语。选d

4.【解析】选d：本题考查对定语从句的掌握和运用能力。句意为“那些失聪的成功舞蹈演员们认为，舞蹈是一种让人看胜过让人听的活动。”据句子结构判断，空白处缺一引导定语从句的关联词，由于先行词activity在从句中担任地点状语故应该选择关系副词where，因此正确答案为d项。

 

所以大部分的语法解析中提到当situation   stage   case  point这四个词在定语从句中作先行词表示抽象的地点时,其后的定语从句的引导词一般用where

例如：

1. the media can draw attention to situation where help is needed.

2. we have reached a stage where we have almost no rights.

3. today, we’ll discuss a number of cases where beginners of english fail to use the language properly.

4. we are just trying to reach a point where both sides will sit down together and talk.

5. their youngest child is at the stage where she can say individual words but not full sentences.

 

 

 

练习：用适当的关系副词填空

1. today, we’ll discuss a number of cases________ beginners of english fail to use the language properly.　

  a．which          b．as             c．why           d．where

2. those successful deaf dancers think that dancing is an activity_______ sight matters more than hearing.　

  a．when         b．whose        c．which           d．where

3. after graduation she reached a point in her career_______  she needed to decide what to do.　

a．that           b．what          c．which          d．where

4. can you think out a situation _______ this word can be used?　

  a．where        b．whose        c．which           d．when

5. her illness has developed to the point _______ nobody can cure her.

  a．that          b．where        c．which           d．what 

6. we're just trying to reaching a point _________ both sides will sit down together and talk.

a. when        b. that                c. where                     d. which   

 

答案及解释：

1. 答案d。解析：考查定语从句。先行词是cases，意思是：情况，状态，关系词在从句中作状语，先行词指地点，用where。

2. 答案d。解析：考查的是定语从句。dancing is an activity后面是一个定语从句，修饰an activity，在定语从句中缺少状语，所以用where或in which。

3. 答案d。解析： 本题考查定语从句的引导词。在定语从句中，当先行词为point, case, situation等时，通常用关系副词where引导。

4. 答案a。解析：本题考查定语从句的引导词。在定语从句中，当先行词为point, case, situation等时，通常用关系副词where引导.你能设想出这个单词被使用的场合吗?

5. 答案b。解析：本题考查定语从句的引导词。在定语从句中，当先行词为point, case, situation等时，通常用关系副词where引导. 她的病发展到没人能治的地步。

6.答案c。解析：本题考查定语从句的引导词。在定语从句中，当先行词为point, case, situation等时，通常用关系副词where引导.