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法律英语|英文法律文书简明课程(五)

来源:www.hl499.com 2024-03-05
Clauses - Restrictive and Nonrestrictive

限制性从句与非限制性从句

1. Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses Defined. Restrictive clauses limit the possible meaning of a preceding subject. Nonrestrictive clauses tell you something about a preceding subject, but they do not limit, or restrict, the meaning of that subject. Compare the following examples.

含义。限制性从句限定前面主句的意思,而非限制性从句仅讲述与前面的主句有关的内容,但并不对前面的主句进行限定。比较下面的例句:

Correct Restrictive Use:

The suspect in the lineup who has red hair committed the crime.

Note how the subject suspect in this sentence is restricted in two ways: we know that this suspect is both in the lineup and has red hair. As a result, we know that the other suspects, who are not in the lineup, could not have committed the crime. Moreover, of those suspects in the lineup, we know that the one suspect in the lineup with red hair committed the crime. If there were more than one suspect in the lineup with red hair, the above usage would be incorrect because it implies a different meaning.

请注意:上句中的主语suspect以两种方法进行了限定:在排队和有红色头发。因此,大家可以了解,其它不在队列中的嫌疑犯没参与犯罪。而且,在嫌疑犯队列中,只有有红色头发的才参与了犯罪。假如队列中不止一人有红色头发,则上述例句的使用方法是不正确的,由于它存有其它的意思。

Correct Nonrestrictive Use:

The suspect in the lineup, who owns a red car, committed the crime.

In this example, the restrictive clause in the lineup tells us that of all possible suspects in the world, the one who committed the crime is in the lineup. However, while the nonrestrictive clause who owns a red car tells us something about the suspect, it does not foreclose the possibility that there are several different suspects in the lineup with red cars. The car color may tell us something useful, but it does not restrict us to only one possibility.

在例句中,限制语in the lineup告诉大家,在所大概的嫌疑犯中,参与犯罪的嫌疑犯在队列中。尽管非限制性从句who owns a red car告诉了大家关于嫌疑犯的若干资料,但并不可以排除在队列中其它嫌疑犯也拥有red car。车身的颜色可能告诉大家一些有用的东西,但没办法限定到仅仅一种可能。

2. When choosing between that and which, use that to introduce a restrictive clause and which to introduce a nonrestrictive clause. Although some writers use which to introduce a restrictive clause, the traditional practice is to use that to introduce a restrictive clause and which to introduce a nonrestrictive clause. When writing a restrictive clause, do not place a comma before that. When writing a nonrestrictive clause, do place a comma before which.

尽管有的作者用which来引入限制性从句,但传统使用方法还是用that来引入限制性从句,而用which来引入非限制性从句。用限制性从句时,that 前绝对不要用逗号,而用非限制性从句时,which 前必须要用逗号。

Correct Restrictive Use:

The store honored the complaints that were less than 60 days old.

Correct Nonrestrictive Use:

The store honored the complaints, which were less than 60 days old.

These sentences have different meanings as well as different punctuation1. In the restrictive sentence, the store honored only those complaints less than 60 days old, but not those over 60 days old. In the nonrestrictive sentence, the store honored all the complaints, all of which were less than 60 days old.

这两个句子含义不同,所用标点也不同。在限制性从句中,商店只处置低于60天的投诉;而在非限制性从句中,商店处置了所有些投诉,这类投诉都是60天内发生的。

3. Place proper punctuation around nonrestrictive clauses, but do not place punctuation around restrictive clauses. When a nonrestrictive clause appears in the middle of a sentence, place commas around it. When a nonrestrictive clause appears at the end of a sentence, place a comma before it and a period after it. Do not punctuate2 restrictive clauses.

在非限制性从句中可以用标点,但在限制性从句中则不能用。当非限制性成分在句子中间出现时,应当在它前面和后面加逗号。当非限制性成分出目前句末时,在它前面加逗号,后面加句号。不要在限制性从句中用标点。

Correct Punctuation of Nonrestrictive Clause:

The 1964 Ford3 Mustang, which propelled Lee Iacocca to the TOP of the automobile4 industry, is now considered a classic.

Correct Punctuation of Nonrestrictive Clause:

The credit card is in my wallet, which you can find in the kitchen drawer.

Correct Punctuation of Restrictive Clause:

The boat that sailed on October 25 is the one to which we referred in the contract


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