原书 PDF 第 1702—1705 页
a family which quarrel amongst themselves... 据说这里用 which 是错误的。a family which, a committee which, a group which 不是很常见的搭配吗？
按照英语惯用法,当指人的集体名词(team, audience, crew, jury, public, committee, family)与复数动词连用(即集体名词不是表示整体而是表示组成人员)时,其关系代词应当是 who/whom,而不应当是 which。如使用 which,就必须与单数动词连用。
The London team, which played so well last season, has done badly this season. (Eckersley) 伦敦队上个赛季打得很好，这一赛季打得却很糟。
It was raining, ____ was a pity.
A. what B. that C. the which D. which(Nelson, 300)
which 所修饰的中心词是什么？
一般的定语从句都是修饰名词的。Snakes which are poisonous should be avoided.（应当避开有毒的蛇。）这种定语从句叫做adnominal relative clause(修饰名词的定语从句)。像上面试题中的which从句与此不同，它的先行词并不是一个名词或一个名词短语，而是前面的整个主句或主句的一部分，有时甚至是一连串的句子，这样的定语从句叫做sentential relative clause(修饰句子的定语从句，此时的which相当于and that):
He invited us to dinner, which was very kind of him. (Eckersley) 他邀请我们去吃饭，他真是太好了。
He changed his mind, which made me very angry. (LDCE) 他改变了主意,这使我很生气。
She has married again, which was unexpected. (CGEL) 她又结婚了，真出人意料。
He said that he had never seen her before, which was not true. (PEG) (which 不是指整个主句，而是指宾语从句 he had never seen her before) 他说他以前从没见过她，这不是真的。
They say he plays truant, which he doesn't. (CGEL) (which 指 plays truant) 他们说他爱逃学，但他并没有那么做。
I said nothing, which made him still more furious. (PSA) 我什么也没有说,这使他更加愤怒。
他们不喜欢约翰，这一点儿也不奇怪……
帕姆没去看表演，真遗憾。
His movie won several awards at the film festival, ____ was beyond his wildest dream.
)。
)。
[试译]后来,它又横渡了英吉利海峡,在波浪上平稳地行驶,没有发生任何问题。
)
Later it( = the hovercraft) crossed the Channel, riding smoothly over the waves, which presented no problem. (New Concept English, Book 4, L. 35) [原译1]后来它渡过了英吉利海峡，在波浪上平稳地浮行，而波浪对它毫无影响。（上海科技文献出版社版，p.213） [原译2]以后，此气垫船横渡英吉利海峡，平稳地行驶在海浪之上，波浪不再产生阻力。（世界图书出版公司版，p.155） 该书的《辅导材料》注释说：“which presented no problem 是非限制性定语从句，修饰 waves”。 请问上面的译文及其注释是否正确？
英语的关系代词 which 或 that 由于没有性、数、格的形式,有时候很难找出它的先行词。例如： the smiles of delight on all the faces that he liked 在这里要想根据语法关系来确定 that 的先行词,那是绝对办不到的。这说明英语语法结构的严密性是有很大缺陷的。遇到这种情况只能依靠上下文的分析和语言之外的知识。 我们知道,关系代词 which 的先行词,除了名词、名词短语之外,还可以是一个句子或者一个句子的一部分。
Libraries made education possible, and education in its turn added to libraries: the growth of knowledge followed a kind of compound-interest law, which was greatly enhanced by the invention of printing. (New Concept English, Book 4, L. 27)
[原译]图书馆使教育有可能进行,而教育反过来增加了图书馆的内容;知识的增长遵循一种复利法则,这一法则由于印刷术的发明作用大大地加强。(上海科技文献出版社版,p.203)
请分析 which 从句是修饰哪个成分的。
应当承认,根据语法知识很难判定 which 从句是说明 law 的,还是说明 the growth 的。但是,根据上下文和整个句子的意思可以认定,which 从句是说明整个主句的。
[试译]书籍使得教育成为可能,而教育又反过来增加了书籍的内容:知识是按照一种类似复利律的规则增长的,这一进程由于印刷术的发明而得到了大大的加快。(参见
You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better... (Pride and Prejudice, p.2) [原译]你让女儿们自己去得了。要不然你和她们一道去，这样做好些。……(《傲慢与偏见》，太白文艺出版社，1994，p.2)。 which 是指代“You and the girls may go”（你和她们一道去）吗？
从语法上看,which 显然指代连接词 or 之后的分句:you may send them by themselves。 [试译]你和女儿们一起去吧,要不你就打发她们自己去,这样或许更好些……
Education alone can conduct us to that enjoyment which is best in quality and infinite in quantity. [原译]在质上最优,在量上无限,能够引导我们走向快乐的唯有教育。(钱歌川《翻译的技巧》,p.520) which 从句是修饰 education 的吗?
显而易见,which 从句是说明名词 enjoyment 的。但原译文却把 which 从句译成状语了。 [试译] 唯有教育才能把我们引导到质量最优、数量无限的快乐中去。
His brother has become an engineer, ____ he wanted to be. A. who B. what C. which D. that
这道试题要求选 C(which)，即用 which 指代表人的名词 an engineer。但是，《朗文英语正误词典》(安徽科技出版社，p.447) 明确指出：which 不能用来指代人。我感到无所适从。
对于英语初学者可以说关系代词 which 不能用来指代人,对于英语水平较高者则应指出:在下列情况下,which 可以用来指代人。
A. 当关系代词 which 充当定语从句的表语或宾语时, 可以用来表示某类人所具有的性格、人品、素质、地位或职业等。例如:
He imagined himself to be an artist which he was not. (CGEL) 虽然他不是艺术家,但是他却把自己想象成一个艺术家。
They accused him of being a traitor, which he was. (CGEL) 他们指责他是叛徒，他真是个叛徒。
He is exactly the man which such an education was likely to form. 他正是这种教育可能造就出来的人。
He is a teetotaller, which I am not. (CGEL) 他是个绝对禁酒主义者，而我不是。
It is Freud the analyst which we most enjoy. 我们最为欣赏的是分析家弗洛伊德。
He talked like a native, which he hardly was. 他说起话来像是个本地人,其实他不见得是。
B. which 可以用来指代不分性别的婴儿或儿童:
This is the baby which needs inoculation. (CGEL) 这是那个需要打预防注射针的婴儿。
His mother had ten children, of which he was the oldest. 他的妈妈有10个孩子，他是最大的。
C. 当用作先行词的集体名词表示整体,而不是表示其成员时,应当使用关系代词 which,但是严格说来,这里的 which 并不是指人,而是指与人有关的集体:
a family which dates back to the Norman Conquest (CGEL) 一个可追溯到诺曼底人征服英国时期的家族
the government, which is cutting its losses (CGEL) 正在削减损失的政府
the committee which was responsible for this decision (CGEL) 对这个决定负责的委员会
The audience, which was most enthusiastic, applauded the soloist. 极为热情的观众为那位独唱演员热烈鼓掌。
请做下面的英语试题：
The people which I saw were unwilling to go out even after it got light. (TOEFL)
(强调句中的 which) 见 cleft sentence $^{1}$
My mother and my grandmothers could never have lived my life; my father and my grandfathers could never have imagined it. But they bestowed on me the promise of America, which made my life and my choices possible. (Hillary, Living History, p. 1)
[原译]母亲、奶奶、外婆跟我生活在截然不同的时代；父亲、爷爷、外公对我的生活也无法想像。不过他们向我灌输美国式希望，这个希望造就了我的人生与选择。（希拉里，《亲历历史》，p.1）
请问上句中的 which 是指代 the promise of America 吗?
从上下文不难断定, which 是指代前面的整个主句, 而不是指代 the promise of America 的, 因为作者在这里是谈她的前两代人对她人生的正面影响。
[试译]母亲、祖母和外祖母在当时不可能过上我这样的生活；父亲、祖父和外祖父在当时对我的生活连想像都想像不出来。但是，他们向我灌输了美国前途的思想，从而造就了我的人生与选择。