据我观察,that的确是可以跳过最近的名词修饰更前的词的,只要用的谓语没有歧义。例如白勇语法中有一个句子:Byron possessed powers of observation that would have made him a great anthropologist and that make his letter as a group which is the rival of the best novels of the time.
这里的make就是跳过了observation修饰了powers,而且这个句子不会产生歧义,that后面的句子肯定是修饰复数的powers。
比如还是刚才那个例子,将powers改成power,这时无论用that和which都不对了,因为你说不清它是修饰power还是observation的,一般根据就近原则就说是修饰observation的,但是句子的意思实际是想修饰power。这时可以改为,Byron possessed power of observation, power that.....这样就不歧义啦~~
不知道这样对你的理解有帮助吗?
-- by 会员 anotherside (2010/8/15 22:10:54)