A主语

用which或that，而which较正式：

This is the picture which／that cansed such a sensation．

这就是那部轰动一时的电影。

The stairs which／that lead to the cellar are rather slippery．

通向地窖的楼梯相当滑。

（另参见下面B。）

B动词的宾语

用which，that或干脆省略关系代词：

The car which／that I hired broke down．或：

我租用的那辆小汽车抛锚了。

The car I hired…

一般在all，everything，little，much，none，no，由no构成的复合词及形容词的最高级形式之后很少使用which，而常用that。如果这个关系代词是动词的宾语时也可省略：

All the apples that fall are eaten by the pigs．

掉在地上的苹果都让猪吃了。

This is the best hotel（that） I know．

这是我所知道的最好的饭店。

C介词的宾语

规范的结构是介词+which，但通常都把介词移到从句的末尾，用关系代词which，that或干脆省去关系代词：

The ladder on which I was standing¹ began to slip．

我脚下的梯子开始向下滑动。或：

The ladder which／that I was standing on began to slip．

The ladder I was standing on began to slip．

D所有格

可以用whose+从句这种结构，但通常是用with+短语这种结构来代替它：

a house whose walls were made of glass用玻璃做墙的房子

a house with glass walls（译文同上）

E关系副词

用when，where，why。

注意：when可以代替用于指时间的in／on which：

the year when（＝in which）he was born他出生的那一年

the day when（=on which）they arrived他们到达的那一天

where可以代替用于指地点的in／at which：the hotel／where（=in／at which） they were staying他们当时住的旅店why可代替for which：

The reason why he refused is…

他拒绝的理由是……

when，where和why有这种用法时叫做关系副词。