Many ancient cultures built observatories from which to carry out celestial observations. 许多古代文明都有建造天文台观测天象。
from which 在这里当什么词性? 若拿掉这两个字,对句意有影响吗?
Thanks a lot.
▲这个结构是wh型不定式关系分句。
▲不定式关系分句(infinitival relative clause)是非限定的关系分句(定语从句),与限定的关系分句相对应,分为两种:
一种由关系短语(即包含关系词的短语)引导,称为wh型不定式关系分句;
另一种不包含关系短语,称为非wh型不定式关系分句。
▲非wh型不定式关系分句,其实就是不定式分句充当后置修饰语,参见:http://ask.yygrammar.com/q-6236.html。
而wh型不定式关系分句有两个要求:
1.关系短语必须由介词+名词短语组成;
2.不能包含主语。
▲根据引导的关系短语不同,wh型不定式关系分句可以分为几类:
介词+which:
• He has four weeks in which to lodge an appeal. 他有4个星期的时间提出上诉。
• We guarantee that you will find a community with which to socialise. 我们保证你们会找到自己的交际圈。
• We will then have a firmer foundation of fact on which to build theories. 那样我们将会获得一个建立理论所需的更为牢固的事实基础。
• Washington struck me as a precarious place from which to publish such a cerebral newspaper. 我的感觉是,在华盛顿出版这样一份理性的报纸不是太靠谱。
介词+whom:
• She is the ideal person in whom to confide. 她是我们可以信赖的理想人选。
• The employer has a lot of people from whom to select. 雇主可以在许多人中进行挑选。
• Filled with shame and hate, he had no one on whom to vent his feelings. 满肚子又羞又恨, 却没有个发泄的对象。
• Is there a mentor or close friend with whom to share your challenges and vision? 可有一位良师益友或亲密的朋友来分享你的挑战和梦想吗?
介词+whose+名词(相对罕见得多):
• The lawyer found a shareholder on whose behalf to act. 那个律师找到了一个可以让自己代表其来行动的股东。
▲wh型不定式关系分句一般可以补充主语转换为限定的关系分句。例如:
• He has four weeks in which he can lodge an appeal. 他有4个星期的时间提出上诉。
• She is the ideal person in whom we can confide. 她是我们可以信赖的理想人选。
• The lawyer found a shareholder on whose behalf he can act. 那个律师找到了一个可以让自己代表其来行动的股东。
▲最后说你的句子。
在你的句子里,from which 在不定式关系分句中充当表示来源的地点状语,同时也是引导关系分句的关系短语。
同样,这句话也可以转换为限定的关系分句。
• Many ancient cultures built observatories from which people carried out celestial observations. 许多古代文明都有建造天文台观测天象。
如果去掉 from which 的话,剩下的不定式分句有两种可能的功能:充当 observatories 的后置修饰语;充当主句的目的状语。
按照这两种分析,不定式分句的逻辑主语可以是 observatories,也可以是 many ancient cultures。
但鉴于观测天象的是人,而非古代文明或天文台,所以不宜去掉 from which。