[問題]美加文法修辭精粹241

[lucyyeh]

All of the oldest homind fossils have been found in southern and easter Africa; the oldest of these, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, are nearly four million years old and are the only known human fossils from Pliocene period.
(A) the oldest of these, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, are nearly four million years old and are
(B) the oldest of these, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, is nearly four million years old and is
(C) of which the oldest, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, is nearly four million years old and is
(D) of which the oldest of these, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, are nearly four million years old and are
(E) the oldest of which, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, are nearly four million years old and are

答案為A
其中(B)(C) is 不agree就不管了 (D) of which the oldest of these是串廢話，也不管了

(A)和 (E) 只有 these 跟 which 不同
書上說which指涉不清，不過這點我實在不懂，which會不清，these不也是不清? 還是which跟these用法有什麼不同嗎? 還是說已經打分號了，就不可用連接詞--which了(我自己掰的理由)?
請各位文法修辭高手指點一下，謝謝!

[kotokolin]

分號後面會另起一段句子, (A)的these是代名詞, 指回前面主語

(E)which是關代, 我沒看過分號後面這樣用關代的
(關代不都是當受詞或是連接詞嗎? 我猜這樣用是錯的啦, 懶的回去翻文法書了, 忙著寫essay中)

[dibert8]

thses 是複數,前面句子只有一個字是複數: fossils

[dibert8]

All of the oldest homind fossils have been found in southern and easter Africa; the oldest of these, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, are nearly four million years old and are the only known human fossils from Pliocene period.
(A) the oldest of these, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, are nearly four million years old and are
(B) the oldest of these, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, is nearly four million years old and is
(C) of which the oldest, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, is nearly four million years old and is
(D) of which the oldest of these, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, are nearly four million years old and are
(E) the oldest of which, from the Omo River in Ethiopia, are nearly four million years old and are

從後面 fossils 判斷 the oldest 是複數.

[lucyyeh]

請問which不能代複數?

[dibert8]

which 代複數沒有問題.
(C) (D) (E) 不能用 which 是因為分號後面必須是一個完整的句子.