以定語從句這一項為例。把"I read a novel yesterday.和"It was extremely Interesting."這兩個單句改為"The novel I read yesterday was extremely interesting."這就是定語從句的單項練習。首先要反復進行替換練習。如把"I saw a man this morning."和"The man is my teacher."改為"The man I saw this morning is my teacher."把"I saw a film last night."和"The film was very amusing."改為"The film I saw last night was very amusing."這種練習雖然是枯燥的,卻是重要的基本功,務求把定語從句練到脫口而出的地步。這是第一步。
第二步是把定語從句放在一定的語言情景中去綜合運用,進行一問一答。如:
A:Did you enjoy the opera?
B:Which opera?
A:The one we saw last night,of course.
B:Yes,very much.
第三步是擴大運用,也就是把定語從句和以前壆過的兩三個項目放在一起去操練。
A:Do you know who Edgar Snow was?(一般問句;名詞從句)
B:Yes,he was an American writer who interviewed Chairman Mao in Beijing.(定語從句)
A:Oh,now I remember.He was the author who wrote"Red Star Over China",wasn't he?(定語從句;反意疑問句)