一般來說,定語應放在所修飾的詞之前,但在以下幾種情況下,作定語的成分卻要放在所修飾的詞之后,我們稱之為定語后置。
一、表示度量的短語修飾名詞時應后置
a river five metres wide
一條五米寬的河
a boy sixteen years old
一個十六歲的男孩
注:當這類詞組作定語放在名詞前時,表示量的名詞應用單數(shù)形式,且數(shù)詞與量詞之間應加上連詞符號“-”。上述例子可改寫為:a five-metre-wide river, a sixteen-year-old boy。
二、介詞短語作定語時應后置
The boy in the room is my brother.
屋里的男孩是我弟弟。
He lives in a tall building in the city of Shanghai.
他住在上海的一幢高樓里。
三、副詞here,there,home,
downstairs,upstairs,below,above等作
定語時應后置
The boys there are reading English.
那邊的男孩正在讀英語。
The man downstairs can’t sleep well.
樓下的那個人睡不好。
四、兩個以上由并列連詞連接的形容詞修飾一個名詞時,應放在后面
He is a teacher, both kind and strict.
他是一個既和藹又嚴格的老師。
They lived in a house, clean and bright.
他們住在一個干凈明亮的房子里。
五、形容詞短語作定語時要后置
They saw many bags full of apples.
他們看到許多裝滿蘋果的袋子。
There are a lot of things too far away to see in the sky.
天空中有許多太遠看不到的東西。
六、形容詞修飾不定代詞(如
something,nothing,anything,everything,somebody,anyone等)時,要后置
He will tell us something interesting.
他將告訴我們一些有趣的事情。
There is nothing new in the room.
房間里沒有什么新東西。
七、分詞短語作定語時要后置
The boy called Tom is in Class One.
那個名叫湯姆的男孩在1班。
These girls sitting under the tree are my friends.
那些坐在樹下的女孩是我的朋友。
八、enough,last,next,nearby等作定語時,既可放在所修飾的詞之前,也可放在后面
He has enough money(money enough) to buy a car.
他有足夠的錢買一輛汽車。
We often go fishing in the river nearby(the nearby river).
我們常去附近的小河釣魚。
九、else修飾疑問詞或不定代詞時應后置
What else did he say?
他還說了些什么?
He is taller than anyone else in his class.
他是班里個子最高的。
十、動詞不定式作定語時應后置
We have much work to do.
我們有許多活要干。
The best time to come to China is in spring.
來中國的最好時間是春季。
十一、定語從句要后置
He is the man who I am looking for.
他就是我正在找的那個人。
This is the lesson that we should remember.
這是我們應該記住的教訓。