這句的文法是否有錯？

文法有錯。

整句來說，因為 what little food was left 本身是個 noun phrase，你可把它當成 noun 這樣看。當你用SVO句法分析時，你會發現文法是對的。

問題出在 what little food was left 本身。

它的問題不在於food後無that又無which，而是 what 和 little food 都是指剩下的食物，它們重複了，要删走其中一個:

1. what was hardly left （删走 little food，hardly 用來代替表達 little 的意思。但這樣改的前提是讀者明白 what 是指 food）
或
2. the little food left （删走what，將它變成普通的 noun）

如此一來，無論用哪種改法，也能不用 which 或 that 而能文法正確地表達了。

1. He put what was hardly left into the pocket of his jacket.
2. He put the little food left into the pocket of his jacket.

當然你也可用which或that，像上面的大大般，但我覺得有些繁冗啦。


希望幫到你。


2013-06-05 13:56:49 補充：
上面的大大應改成
He put [the] little food which was left into the pocket of his jacket.

There is no problem with the sentence.

The word 'that' or 'which' is not omitted; either word should not be there.

He put what was left into the pocket of his jacket.
('what' stands for 'all that' or something that'. 'That' should not repeated.)

He put the little food that was left into the pocket of his jacket.
('that' must be there)

Using what with little food, it becomes the sentence you showed in your question.

He put what little food was left into the pocket of his jacket.

'What little food was left' is a noun clause and the object of the sentence.



2013-06-09 02:26:40 補充：
What little food is the subject of the clause. It is followed immediately by the verb.

Another example:
I will contribute what little knowledge I have.

He put whatever food left over into the picket of his jacket.

他將所有餘下的食物放進他外衣的口袋內o

問得好
除非你懂意會全句內容的各個組件，才能明白為何沒有that...拆錯而重組改寫就算文法啱意思都未必會相同啦

拆句如下

He put...what litte food was left...into the pocket of his jacket.

"what little food was left"全組是他放進外套袋裏的東西
不是left into或是left little food等等

這組意思是看前文他從那裏弄來吃剩的一點食物(可以是他自己吃剩的...亦可以是在處境裏有人食剩的)

當然你說得對
如果有that應該算是標準文法句式，但由於that的連接後描述必定是指前一字，因此
what little food that was left
與
what little food was left
對英語人來看意思上是沒有分別的。

問題不是what 先行嗎?
What little food was he put into the pocket of his jacket? 是否通順一點?

He put what little food was left into the pocket of his jacket.

上述句子文法是有錯。

I think:
He put the left little food/snack into the jacket pocket/the pocket of his jacket.
(little food是否解小食，還是解細小的食物？)

food後最好加which.

He put what little food which was left into the pocket of his jacket.

如果沒有which or that放在上述句子中，grammar 就會有些不通順。