一、限制性定语从句
限制性定语从句对所修饰的先行项起限制作用，在意义上与先行项密切不可分。如被省去，主句的意思就含糊不清，甚至变得毫无意义。关系词和先行项之间一般不用逗号分隔。
（一）定语词组
①I have but one lamp by which my feed are guided.我只有一盏指路明灯。
②It was so with the vast railroad yards with the crowded array of vessels she saw in the river.火车站广大的场地，河里鳞次梯比的船只，她也同样不能理解。
③Before following her in her round of seeking,let us look at the sphare in which her future was to lie.我们暂且把她找寻工作的事搁下来不谈，先看一看她的前途所寄托的这个世界。
④…and the thread which bound her so lightly to girlhood and home were irretrievably broken ……而那些把她和少女时代以及故乡轻轻系住的柔丝，不得不就此断绝了。
翻译这类从句，常常是将关系词省去，在句未加“的”字，放在被修饰项之前。当然，也可视其情况不用“的”字，如①和②。这种译法用得普遍，尤其适用于译简短的定语从句。
（二）并列从句
1）省略英语的先行项
①The lungs are subjecd to several diseases which are treatable by surgery.肺易受几种疾病的侵袭，但均可经手术治疗。
②A little way on she saw a great door which,for some reason,attracted her attention.又走了一些路，她看见一个大门，不知怎的，引起了她的注意。
③As a result, a hum of gossip was set going which moved about the house in that secret manner common to gossip.结果就造成一阵闲话，暗中在公寓里流传，闲话一般都是如此的。
④A will had been made which divide the small tax –eaten property equally among the remaining four,so that it was really of no interest to any of them.遗嘱已立好，把这片快要给税吃光的薄产平分给四个孩子，但谁都对此不感兴趣。
上述定语从句例句比（一）里的定语从句例句长些，因此，就不宜译成定语词组成形式。否则，译句就会显得太长且不符合汉语的表达习惯。如④就不宜译成“把这片快要给税吃光的薄产平分给四个孩子的中遗嘱早已立好，谁都对此不感兴趣。”这类从句不是长、难复杂定语从句，一般就按原文的顺序位置译。上面译句的第二分句，有的承前省略了主语，如③④，有的借用第一分句的不定语作逻辑主语，如①②
2）重复英语的先行项
①At dimmer I found myself placed between Mrs. Bradly ,and a shy drab girl who seemed even younger than the other.席间，我发现自己坐在布拉得雷太太和一腼腆乏味的女孩子中间；她看上去比其余人都年轻。
②A writer——in fact every one of us in life——needs that loving-mother force from which all creation flows …一个作家——实际上生活中的每个人——都需要慈母的力量，它是创造一切的源泉。
③Man possesses an expressive faculty that goes far beyond gestures, that allows and even compels him to express his thoughts, feedings,dreams, and inituitions.人类具有远远超过于手势的表达官能，这种官能不仅使人能够，而且使他要把思想、感情、幻梦、直觉表达出来。
这些先行项的重复，有时用的是代词如①②，有时用的是限定词如③。汉译时，需重复先行项的地方，就要重复。否则会影响意思的连贯和清楚。
我们一般采用分述法将带定语从句的英语复合句译成并列分词。分述法就将主句和从句分开翻译的方法。此方法除了将定语从句译为并列分句外，还译为状语从句。
（三）状语从句
让我们来看看下例该怎么译：
He insisted on building another house which he had no use for.
上例能译成“他坚持再建一座他不用的房子”或“他坚持再建一座房，这房他不用”吗？显然不能，因为这样的译文令读者莫名其妙。这两种译文是套用定语词组和并列分句形式而译的，然而错了。
正确的译文是：他虽自己不用，但仍坚持再建一座房。
此句之所以这样译，是因为它含有状语从句的意思。英语定语从句——尤其是非限制性定语从句——有时兼有状语从句的职能，可以表示时间、条件、原因、让步、目的、结果等等关系。
兹再举几例说明限制性定语从句所表示的状语意思：
①I think it will grow even on non-irrlgated land where there is a forest belt.我想即使在没有灌溉的土地上，只要有一条树林带，苜蓿还是会生长的。（表条件）
②In a personed sense ,I think of my eldest daughter , whose birthday is today .就个人来讲，我想到我的大女儿，因为今天是她的生日。（表原因）
（四）独立句
①He paid that peculiar deferente to women which every member of the sex appreciates.他对女性殷勤令每个女人所赏识。
②What were the hopes and dreams that had made of them the incredibly stubborn warriors?是什么希望，什么目标，什么理想使他们成为顽强到令人难以置信的战士呢？
翻译英语There be 句型和带定语从句的复合句时，常用溶合法。溶合法就是把原主句的主语同定语从句溶合在一起而译成独立句的方法。溶合法要求改变句子的构造形式。具体作法是，将原主句的的词或词组用作独立句的主语，再将定语从句用作谓语，这样便译成独立句，如①将He paid that peculiar deference to women 压缩译为“他对女性的殷勤”而定语从句“which every member of the sex appreciates”译为谓语“令每个女人所常识”。
（五）复合宾语
①I also found on the ground near the tracks of the lamed groups of ants which were rulling grains of corn.我还看见骆驼的脚印边有许多的蚂蚁在拖玉米粒。
②He did not find any one in the house who particularly cared to see .他认为家里没有人特别想知道的。
当主句的谓语动词是表示“感观”或“心理活动”等意义时，修饰宾语的定语从句多译为复合宾语。
二、非限制性定语从句
非限制性定语从句同其先行项之间的联系是松散的。它不是先行项的必不可少的组成部分，而仅是对先行项作些描写或补充说明。非限制性定语从句前常有逗号将它与主语分开。非限制性定语从句也主要是采用前面已说过的分译法和溶合法来译。它常驻被译为并列分句、独立的和状语从句，偶尔还可译为定语词组等。
（一）译成并列分句
1. 译成并列分句，省略先行项
①Wait a minute,said the boss,and he opened the load and took out a ham,which he started to bone and string up.“等一会儿！”老板说道，说罢便打开火腿包，拿出一只，开始剔骨头，并用绳子缚起来。（省主语）
②Carrie reached home in high good spirits，which she could scarely conceal.嘉莉兴高采烈地回到家，想掩饰也掩饰不住。（省主语）
2. 译成并列分句，重复英语的先行项
①…from his vest dangled a real gold watch chain ,from which was suspended the secret insignia of the Order of Elks……背心上荡着一根精致的金表链，链上系着“共进会”的徽章。
②He came within the meaning of a still newer term ,which had sprung into general use among Americans in 1880…他其实适合于一个更新的名词，那个名词1880年在美国人中突然流行起来……
（二）译成独立句
①It has long been my wish to encounter one of the oldest civilizations in earth .I have come amidst you from Egypt ,On the banks of the Nile ,which also has a most ancient civilization .我一直向往着要同世界最古老的文明会晤。尼罗河畔的埃及也有着最古老的文明，我正是从那里来到你们中间。
②You’ve given Feldstyn ,who dislikes me any how ,the chance he was waiting for .费尔德丁反正讨厌我，你给他的机会正是他求之不得的。
（三）译成状语从句
①These actions, which have aroused universal and unreserved disapproval, must nevertheless give us a pause.这些行动，虽已激起普遍而毫不掩饰的反对，却也使我们举棋不定。（表让步）
②In a dispute between two states with which one is friendly,try not to get involved.在两国发生争端时，如与该两国皆友好，则应避免卷入。（表条件）。
③Copper, which is used so widely for carrying electricity , offers very little resistance.铜的电阻很小，因此被广泛用于输电。（表结果）
（四）译成定语词组
As I came in, Gus Meyer, who owned the taxicad that used to stand at the corner of our street ,waved to me from a table.我进去时，那个开出租汽车的古司．买耶坐在一张桌子那里向我招手，他的车子经常就停在我们街角上。
非限制性定语从句主要是译成并列分句、独立句和状语从句这几种形式，这与它的作用——仅是对先行项提供一些补充说明——有关。难怪《新编英语语法》（修定本）指出：在意义上，非限制性定语从句相当于一个并列分句，可以完全脱离主句而独立出现。
综上举例可以看出，定语从句可用“分述法”和“溶合法”进行翻译，形式有定语词组，并列分句、状语从句、复合宾语等。这些形式是英译汉的主要“框架结构”，并非全部“标准答案”。在具体和翻译实践中，我们应该视其不同情况，选用不同的形式或作灵活变通处理。