修饰名词的定语从句有可能为其它短语,特别是介词短语所隔开。因为介词短语与被修饰名词之搭配关系通常比定语从句与名词之间的关系更为紧密,因此不宜拆开。但有时为了避免误解,定语从句(特别是较短的定语从句)也有可能介入于名词与介词短语之间。如:
1)他所设计的这座体育馆和我们的工厂正好隔河相对,它有一万八千个席位。
The stadium(which)he designed just acrossthe river fronm our factory has a seating capacity of 18000.
句中定语从句“he designed”如果移至介词短语之后,就会和原句的意思不符。试比较:
The stadium just across the river fronm the factory he designed has a seating capacity of
18000.
(和他所设计的那座工厂正好隔河相对的体育馆能容纳18000人。)
2)你们那天参观过的位于古庙前面那座宝塔是700年前建造的。
The pagoda you visited the other day just in front of the ancient temple was built 700
years ago.
句中定语从句 you visited the other day不能后移,否则可能会影响句子的原意:试比较
The pagoda just in front of the ancient temple you visited the other day was built 700years ago.
这句的意思也可能是:在你们参观过的那座古庙的前面的宝塔是700年前建造的。
类似上述这种模棱两可的句子在英语中有时是难以避免的再举一列:
3)当他坐在他自己所设计的疗养院里的亭子里面的的时候,不禁感慨万端。
While he was sitting in the pavilion in the sanitarium which was designed by himself,all sorts of feelings couldn"t help welling up in his mind.
如果孤立地看,很难判别句中定语从句究竟是修饰 sani-tarium还是pavilion。但是如果把它移至 pavilion之后,意思就要发生变化:
While he was sitting in the pavilion which was designed by himself in the sanitarnum,…
(当他坐在他自己在疗养院里设计的那座亭子里的时候,…)
在这种情况,只能根据上下文来判别,或最好用别的句型来代替。