which用法全攻略|英文初學者常見7大錯誤及避免方式 [Complete Guide to the Usage of ‘Which’: 7 Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them]

2024年6月,隨著國人英文學習趨勢興起,關係代名詞的正確使用已成為許多英語初學者的頭號難題。「which」 作為用於連接名詞與其修飾子句的關鍵詞,卻因語法概念混雜、指涉範圍不明等狀況時常被誤用。本文以which的完整用法為核心,針對常見錯誤作專業解析並提供易懂的表格和範例,協助你避開陷阱、打造正確且自然的英文句子。

“which” 的主要用法

用於非限定關係子句

which 最典型的用法,是做為連接非限定關係子句(non-defining relative clause)的代名詞。透過逗號隔開,可襯托補充資訊。

  • 範例:
    The book, which I borrowed from the library, is very interesting.

重點:

  • which 指前方整個名詞片語。
  • 子句前有逗號,表示附加說明。

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用於限定關係子句

有時 which 也可用於限定(defining)關係子句,雖然日常英語更常用 that 來取代。

  • 範例:
    The book which is on the table is mine.

重點:

  • 不用逗號,直接說明名詞「the book」的特徵。

強調用法與指稱整句

which 能指向前面完整一句話,或說明事件結果。

  • 範例:
    She failed the test, which surprised everyone.

重點:

  • 此時 which 指的是「She failed the test」這整個事實。

想進一步認識關係代名詞 which 的各種用法與迷思,可參考 相關文章 做更詳細學習。

英文初學者常見7大錯誤及避免方式

1. 用 which 修飾人(應用 who)

錯誤用法:
The man which is standing there is my father.

正確用法:
The man who is standing there is my father.

用法應用詞範例
描述人物who, whomThe girl who called me…
描述事物/動物whichThe car which is red…

避免方式: 記住 which 僅修飾事物或動物,描述人時務必使用 who 或 whom。

2. 忽略逗號,混淆限定與非限定子句

錯誤用法:
My house which is near the station is big.

正確用法:
My house, which is near the station, is big.

子句類型是否需要逗號用法說明
限定 (Defining)明確限定某物
非限定 (Non-def.)補充說明

避免方式: 子句僅是附加補充時,加逗號並用 which;如需區分多個物品,才用限定句且不加逗號。

3. 在非正式英文中亂用 “that” 取代 which

錯誤用法:
The painting that I bought last week, is expensive.

正確用法:
The painting, which I bought last week, is expensive.

避免方式: which 才能引導逗號後的非限定子句;會限制主詞身份時可用 that(不加逗號)。
更多避免常見錯誤技巧與解析,可參考 這篇文章

進階常見錯誤與避開方法

4. 把 which 當作連接詞誤用

錯誤用法:
She is tired, which she went home earlier.

正確用法:
She is tired, so she went home earlier.

She is tired, which is why she went home earlier.

避免方式: which 不能直接取代 because, so。若欲強調整句,結構須完整。

5. 忘記 which 指涉內容,產生歧義

錯誤用法:
The dog chased the cat, which was very fast.(which是dog還是cat?)

正確用法:
The dog chased the cat, which was very fast.(如需明確,改寫句型或指代)

避免方式: 應將which緊接著所描述對象後,或語意明確。

指涉有歧義重寫建議
The boy hit the dog, which was barking.The boy hit the dog because it was barking.

6. 把 which 誤當 what、that、who 使用

錯誤用法:
I don’t know which he wants.

正確用法:
I don’t know what he wants.

避免方式: which 是關係代名詞,what則是疑問詞或名詞子句連接詞,意義截然不同。

省略問題與結構對照分析

7. 省略 which 位置導致語法錯誤

錯誤用法:
The movie I saw yesterday was exciting.(缺少which)

正確用法:
The movie which I saw yesterday was exciting.

可省略/不可省略條件
可省略關係代名詞在子句為受詞時且限定用法
不可省略若which為主詞,或子句有逗號(非限定)

避免方式: 僅在關係子句中which作為受詞時可省略,不可濫用。

“which” 與常見英文關係代名詞用法對照表

關係代名詞用於子句類型是否可省略例句
which事物/動物限定/非限定受詞可省略The car which I bought is new.
that人/物限定可省略The man that I met is tall.
who限定/非限定限定受詞可省略The boy who is singing is Tom.
whom人(受詞)常用於正式文體可省略The student whom you saw is Mary.
whose人/物(所有格)限定/非限定不可省略The girl whose bike is red is my sister.

進階補充:which作為疑問代名詞與限定子句受詞省略

which作為疑問代名詞

除了關係代名詞外,which 也可作為選擇疑問詞,常出現在 “Which one do you want?” 這類用法。與 what 相比,which 用於明確、有限的選擇。

  • Which color do you prefer, red or blue?
  • What is your favorite color?(選項無限)

受詞位置的 which 可省略

在非正式語境中,which 作為受詞時常被省略,但非限定用法(附加說明)時不可省略。

例句省略which(受詞)結果
The book (which) I read…可以意義不變
The book, which I read,…不可語法錯誤

如果你還需要掌握更多英文考試策略,推薦進一步參考 這篇教學文

結語

學習精通 “which” 用法,是句型靈活而精確表達的基礎。 熟記正確語境、標點符號與前後指涉,可協助你避免初學時常見陷阱,提升書寫能力。無論是在多益考試、學術寫作或日常對話中,靠著結構化練習與語法知識累積,英文句子將更專業、流暢、邏輯分明。希望這篇全攻略協助你輕鬆駕馭 which,寫出自然道地的英文表達!

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