表語是用來說明主語的特征、狀態(tài)等,補充說明主語的意義,因此,它也叫作主語補語.表語一般用在連系動詞后面,連系動詞除了be之外,還有become（成為）、look（看起來）、turn（變成）、go（變成）、seem（似乎）、appear（似乎、顯得）、feel（摸起來）、sound（聽起來）、smell（聞起來）等等.可做表語的有: 形容詞、代詞、名詞、分詞、動名詞、數(shù)詞、介詞短語或副詞和從句：例如：
We are students.
He is very clever.

定語用來限定、修飾名詞或代詞的,定語是對名詞或代詞起修飾、限定作用的詞、短語或句子,漢語中常用‘……的’表示.
充當(dāng)定語的有:代詞、名詞、分詞、介詞短語或副詞和從句.
形容詞、
形容詞作定語：
The little boy needs a blue pen.(little修飾名詞boy；blue修飾名詞pen.）/小男孩需要一支蘭色的鋼筆.
Tom is a handsome boy./Tom是個英俊的男孩.
There is a good boy./有個乖男孩.
數(shù)詞作定語相當(dāng)于形容詞：Two boys need two pens./兩個男孩需要兩支鋼筆.
The two boys are students./這兩個男孩是學(xué)生.
There are two boys in the room./房間里有兩個男孩.
代詞或名詞所有格作定語：
His boy needs Tom's pen./他的男孩需要Tom的鋼筆.
His name is Tom./他的名字是湯姆.
There are two boys of Toms there./那兒有Tom家的兩個男孩.
介詞短語作定語：
The boy in the classroom needs a pen of yours./教室里的男孩需要你的一支鋼筆.
The boy in blue is Tom./穿蘭色衣服的孩子是湯姆.
There are two boys of 9,and three of 10./有兩個9歲的,三個10歲的男孩.
名詞作定語：
The boy needs a ball pen./男孩需要一支圓珠筆.
It is a ball pen./這是一支圓珠筆.
There is only one ball pen in the pencil box./這鉛筆盒里只有一支圓珠筆.
副詞作定語：
The boy there needs a pen./那兒的男孩需要一支鋼筆.
The best boy here is Tom./這里最棒的男孩是Tom.
不定式作定語：
The boy to write this letter needs a pen./寫這封信的男孩需要一支鋼筆.
The boy to write this letter is Tom./將要寫這封信的男孩是湯姆.
There is nothing to do today./今天無事要做.
分詞（短語）作定語：
The smiling boy needs a pen bought by his mother./那個微笑的男孩需要一支他媽媽買的鋼筆.
The pen bought by her is made in China./她買的筆是中國產(chǎn)的.
There are five boys left./有五個留下的男孩.
定語從句：
The boy who is reading needs the pen which you bought yesterday./那個在閱讀的男孩需要你昨天買的鋼筆.
The boy you will know is Tom./你將認識的男孩叫湯姆.
There are five boys who will play the game./參加游戲的男孩有五個.
定語的位置一般有兩種：用在所修飾詞之前的叫前置定語,用在所修飾詞之后的叫后置定語.
單詞作定語時通常放在它所修飾的詞之前,作前置定語.短語和從句作定語時則放在所修飾的詞之后,作后置定語.
1）定語前置
在英語里,一般定語前置時的次序為:限定詞,形容詞、分詞、動名詞和名詞性定語.但當(dāng)幾個形容詞同時出現(xiàn)在名詞短語之前,我們要注意其次序.其形容詞遵循的詞序為：限觀形齡色國材,指：限定詞（一般指數(shù)量）；外觀（美麗等）；形狀（大小,高矮,肥瘦）；年齡；顏色；國籍；材料；用途.如：
a famous American university
an interesting little red French oil painting
a new plastic bucket
purple velvet curtains
an elegant German clock
另外,有些形容詞也有特殊的次序:
1) 描述身體特征的形容詞先于表示情感和性格特征的形容詞
例如:a small lovely girl , a long patient queue , a pale anxious patient ;
2) 表示顏色的形容詞放在表示情感和性格特征的形容詞之后
例如:a kindly black teacher ,an inquisitive brown dog ;
3) little ,old 和young 有時可以作為名詞短語不可分割的一部分,所以可以直接放在名詞之前,例如:a lovely little girl 表示性格特征的形容詞可以放在old young 之前,也可放在old young 之后,例如:a young ambitious man (強調(diào)年齡) ,an ambitious young man(強調(diào)雄心勃勃) .當(dāng)然,三個以上形容詞連用作定語,就顯得累贅,因此上面所說的情況一般較少出現(xiàn).
2）定語后置（1）短語作定語一般后置
It was a conference fruitful of results. 那是一個碩果累累的會議.
He gave me a basket full of eggs. 他給我一個裝滿雞蛋的籃子.
English is a language easy to learn but difficult to master. 英語是一門容易學(xué)但是難精通的語言.
The boys hardest to teach are all in his class.最難教的男生都在他的班里了.
（2）修飾some,any,no,every等詞構(gòu)成的不定代詞的定語都后置
Let’s go somewhere quiet. 咱們?nèi)フ覀€安靜一點的地方吧.
There is nothing important in today’s paper. 今天報紙上沒有什么重要的東西.
Do you have anything more to say? 你還有什么話要說嗎?
（3）副詞作定語
The people here are very friendly. 這里的人很友好.
They lived in the room above.他們住在樓上的房間.
（4）動詞、名詞轉(zhuǎn)化而來的以-able,-ible 結(jié)尾的形容詞作定語
He is a person dependable. 他是一個可以依靠的人
This is the only transportation means available. 這是唯一可行的交通工具.
（5）起強調(diào)用的單個分詞
Everybody involved should stay here.
The college mentioned.
3. 定語從句
英語里有大量的定語從句,而漢語里卻沒有定語從句的說法.英語中定語從句中甚至還可能包含定語從句,即多重定語從句.如： A healthy diet includes enough but not too many kinds of foods that provide the body with the nutrients that it needs to function properly. (健康的飲食包括的食物應(yīng)該充足但又不過多.這些食物提供身體正?；顒铀匦璧臓I養(yǎng))
1）英語的復(fù)合句中,分句以其主句為基干,通過連接手段,一層一層地展開,就好像一棵樹的樹干上長出大枝子,大枝子上再長出小枝子.漢語的分句則更多按照時間發(fā)生的順序出現(xiàn),依次展開.
如： “偉大領(lǐng)袖和導(dǎo)師毛主席領(lǐng)導(dǎo)中國共產(chǎn)黨進行了艱苦卓絕的斗爭,建立了新中國,人民得到了解放,科學(xué)得到了解放.”這句話,譯成英語便成了With the founding of new China (which was) born of arduous struggles (which were) waged by the Chinese Communist Party (which was) under the leadership of our great leader and teacher Chairman Mao , our people , and science as well , won emancipation.（王良蘭,2003）
2）英語中的非限制性定語從句所表達的信息,在漢語里一般由另一個小句來表達.
例如:She asked for his help which he gladly gave. 她要求他幫忙,他愉快地幫助了她.
再如: It was a century during which the country suffered continuously from wars.
一個世紀(jì)過去了,在這期間這個國家不斷遭受戰(zhàn)亂之苦.