英語の関係節：who、which、thatなど

関係節は、1つの文の中で名詞に情報を加えます。"I met a student who speaks three languages." の"who speaks three languages"がstudentを説明します。まず明確な文を作る文構造ガイドも確認できます。

関係節とは

関係節は名詞を修飾する従属節です。"who"は人、"which"は物、"whose"は所有、"where"は場所、"when"は時を表します。defining clauseでは人や物に"that"も使えます。

制限用法と非制限用法

defining relative clauseは対象を特定する必須情報なのでコンマを使いません："The student who sits next to me is from Brazil." non-defining relative clauseは追加情報で、コンマで囲みます："CWC, which is located in Los Angeles, welcomes English learners." この用法では"that"を使いません。

関係代名詞を省略できる場合

関係代名詞が目的語なら、defining clauseで省略できます："The book I bought is useful." 主語なら省略できません："The student who called me is my classmate." 英語の代名詞ガイドも参照してください。

よくある間違いと練習

"The book that I bought it is useful." のように代名詞を重ねないでください。正しくは "The book that I bought is useful." です。2つの短文を結合し、関係節と先行詞に線を引くと構造が見えます。英語ライティングスキルにも役立ちます。

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実際のコミュニケーションで使う

人・場所・経験を"who"、"where"、"that"で説明しましょう。CWCの統合カリキュラムではGrammarをSpeakingとReading & Writingに結びつけます。ESSのConnection Questionsや週次プレゼンも、学んだ構造を自然に使う機会になります。英語文法ルールも復習しましょう。

who・whom・which・thatの使い分け

"who"は人が節の主語のときに使います。"whom"は目的語を示す正式な形ですが、日常会話では"who"が一般的です。"which"は物や動物、"that"は制限用法で人や物を指します。

• "She is the student who asked the question."
• "The teacher who explained the rule was clear."
• "The professor whom I contacted replied quickly."
• "The professor who I contacted replied quickly."
• "The person to whom I spoke was helpful."
• "The person who I spoke to was helpful."
• "This is the book which helped me understand grammar."
• "The exercise, which took 20 minutes, was useful."
• "The class that starts at 9:00 a.m. is full."
• "The student that won the award gave a speech."

非制限用法の関係節

すでに特定された名詞へ補足情報を加える用法です。文中では節の前後をコンマで囲み、"that"は使いません。節を削除しても主文の意味は成立します。

• "CWC, which is located in Los Angeles, welcomes English learners from many backgrounds."
• "My classmate Ana, who speaks Spanish, helped me with the activity."
• "The museum, which we visited on Friday, had a new exhibition."
• "My notebook, that is blue, is on the desk."
• "My notebook, which is blue, is on the desk."

whose・where・when

"whose"は所有、"where"は場所、"when"は時を表します。正式な文章では"in which"や"on which"に置き換えられる場合があります。

• "I met a student whose pronunciation improved quickly."
• "She is the writer whose essay won the contest."
• "We visited a school whose programs serve international learners."
• "in/at that place."
• "This is the café where we studied."
• "Los Angeles is a city where people use many languages."
• "the café where we studied at."
• "I remember the day when I gave my first presentation."
• "Summer is a season when many students travel."
• "This is the café in which we studied."
• "I remember the day on which we met."

数量表現と文全体を受ける関係節

"many of whom"や"two of which"は、グループの一部を説明します。非制限用法の"which"は、直前の名詞だけでなく文全体の内容を受けることもあります。

• "none of which."
• "The class has 15 students, many of whom speak more than one language."
• "We completed five activities, two of which involved speaking."
• "She completed her presentation early, which reduced her stress."

短縮された関係節

能動の関係節は-ing句、受動の関係節は過去分詞句へ短縮できる場合があります。意味と修飾先が明確でない場合は、完全な関係節を残しましょう。

• "Students who attend the workshop should arrive early."
• "Students attending the workshop should arrive early."
• "The assignments that were submitted yesterday have been graded."
• "The assignments submitted yesterday have been graded."
• "The students who are in Room 4 are taking a test."
• "The students in Room 4 are taking a test."

関係節の練習方法

2つの短文を1つに結び、関係節から先行詞へ矢印を引きます。情報が必須か補足かを判断し、コンマが意味に合っているか確認してください。

• "I met a classmate. The classmate lives near campus."
• "I met a classmate who lives near campus."

よくある質問

"that"は人に使える？

はい。defining clauseでは使えますが、文章では"who"がより自然な場合があります。non-defining clauseには使えません。

関係節は、情報を正確につなぐ力を高めます。CWCで文法を実際の会話に活かしたい方は、Columbia West Collegeへお問い合わせください。