定语在英语中是一种修饰名词或代词的词或短语，用来描述或限定名词的特征、数量、性质等。它通常位于被修饰词之前或之后，有时也可用逗号隔开。定语可以由形容词、名词、代词、数词、副词、介词短语或从句等构成。例如：1. A beautiful girl. (形容词作定语)2. The book on the table. (介词短语作定语)3. The man who is reading a book. (定语从句作定语)定语的主要作用是提供关于名词的额外信息，帮助读者或听者更准确地理解名词的含义。
Attributives in English are grammatical elements that serve to modify, define, and elucidate the qualities and characteristics of nouns or pronouns. They are integral to providing additional information and specificity to nouns within a sentence. The primary forms of attributives include adjectives, nouns, pronouns, numerals, prepositional phrases, infinitives, participles, and attributive clauses, each contributing to a more descriptive and precise sentence structure.
Types of Attributives
Attributives can be categorized into several types, each with its unique function:
- Adjective Attributives: These describe the properties or characteristics of a noun, as seen in "a beautiful girl" where "beautiful" is the adjective.
- Prepositional Attributives: Formed by prepositional phrases, they modify nouns or pronouns, such as "in the classroom".
- Noun Attributives: Nouns that modify other nouns, exemplified in "pen case" where "pen" is the noun attributive.
- Adverb Attributives: They modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs and have a flexible position within a sentence.
- Infinitive Attributives: Function as modifiers for nouns or pronouns using the infinitive form of a verb, like "to write this letter".
Order of Attributives
The sequence of attributives follows a specific pattern that includes quantity, evaluative terms, general descriptions, age, color, and type, which helps in accurately portraying the features and attributes of a noun, as demonstrated in "an ugly fat girl".
Position of Attributives
Attributives can be positioned either before or after the noun they modify:
- Pre-modifying Attributives: Placed before the noun, they include adjectives and pronouns, for example, "a blue pen".
- Post-modifying Attributives: Located after the noun, they can be prepositional phrases or attributive clauses, such as "the boy playing the piano".
Examples of Attributives in Sentences
Here are several examples illustrating the use of attributives in different contexts:
- "My brother likes playing basketball." (Pronoun as a pre-modifying attributive)
- "There are few women workers in the factory." (Adjective and noun as pre-modifying attributives)
- "I have something important to tell you." (Adjective as a post-modifying attributive)
- "We have ten desks in the room." (Numeral as a pre-modifying attributive)
- "The workers here come from Sichuan." (Adverb as a post-modifying attributive)
- "Yesterday the scientist made a report on modern science." (Prepositional phrase as a post-modifying attributive)
- "He was the best man to do the job." (Adjective and infinitive as attributives)
- "The boy playing the piano is my brother." (Present participle phrase as a post-modifying attributive)
- "The dormitory built last year is for freshmen." (Past participle phrase as a post-modifying attributive)
- "This is the new dictionary which I bought yesterday." (Attributive clause as a post-modifying attributive)
By employing various types of attributives in sentences, we can express the nature, characteristics, and conditions of nouns or pronouns more clearly and accurately, enriching the information and details conveyed by the sentence.
