一段英文句子的文法

Question

More than just an expensive meal, business dinners are important functions where deals can be made, customer relations improved and clients gained.

交易成功、顧客關係的改善及客戶人數增加的意義多過昂貴的一餐、商業晚餐。
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上面那段英文我看不懂，那個where是做什麼用的呢？完全不了解
為什麼它的比較級是在句子開頭呢？有虛主詞嗎，那虛主詞呢？
我也不太知道我要問什麼...因為都看不懂它句子為什麼這樣排列
我可以改寫成下面這樣嗎？

Its important functions is more than an expensive meal, business dinners that deals can be made, customer relations improved and clients gaind.

很抱歉我的問題這麼籠統.....
希望有人能解釋給我這個英文白癡了解.....

所以說同位語就是省略了關代和be動詞
也就是說同位語裡面若有關代和be動詞就可以省略,或是一定要省略？

把省略過後的同位語擺到句首,是為了...？
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交易成功、顧客關係的改善及客戶人數增加的意義多過昂貴的一餐、商業晚餐。

所以說上面這段翻譯是錯的？
它的原意應該是：一頓重要社交場合裡的晚餐能夠使交易成功、顧客關係的改善以及客戶人數的增加不只是昂貴的一餐所能夠達到的。
是這樣嗎？

Answer 1

首先要說明"倒裝"的意義:
一般直述句的結構都是主詞在前, 動詞在後. 某些場合裡會出現相反的狀況, 稱為"倒裝".
這個句子不是"倒裝", 而是簡化的插入句(也可以說是"非限定用法的形容詞子句"), 可以視為(放置於句首的)同位語. 演變過程如下:
Business dinners are more than just an expensive meal,
and business dinners are important functions where deals
can be made, customer relations (can be) improved and
clients (can be) gained.
Business dinners, which are more than just an expensive
meal (插入句) , are important functions where deals can be
made, customer relations improved and clients gained.
Business dinners, more than just an expensive meal (同位
語) , are important functions where deals can be made,
customer relations improved and clients gained.
More than just an expensive meal, business dinners are
important functions where deals can be made, customer
relations improved and clients gained.
[more than + 名詞]這樣的結構表示: 不只是...
[more than just an expensive meal]是[business dinners]的同位語.
where 稱為關係副詞, 代表"在functions 這樣的場合", 有時寫成"in which", 後面接著一個形容詞子句來修飾 functions.
如果要改寫, 可以寫成:
As important functions where deals can be made, customer relations improved and clients gained, business dinners are more than just an expensive meal.
用as構成一個介系詞片語來修飾"business dinners".

2007-02-15 10:26:29 補充：
"同位語"和"非限定用法的形容詞子句"都可以表達同樣的語意, 但是個人一向不主張用"省略"這樣的關係把它們化上等號, 因為不能保證在所有的狀況下都適用.

擺到句首,是為了強調, 也讓句法多一些變化.

商業晚餐所意味的不只是一頓昂貴的餐點而已, 它擔負著重要的社交功能, 使交易得以成功, 顧客關係得以改善, 以及爭取客戶.

Answer 2

More than just an expensive meal, business dinners are important functions where deals can be made, customer relations improved and clients gained.

交易成功、顧客關係的改善及客戶人數增加的意義多過昂貴的一餐、商業晚餐。
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上面那段英文我看不懂，那個where是做什麼用的呢？完全不了解
為什麼它的比較級是在句子開頭呢？有虛主詞嗎，那虛主詞呢？
我也不太知道我要問什麼...因為都看不懂它句子為什麼這樣排列
我可以改寫成下面這樣嗎？
Its important functions is more than an expensive meal, business dinners that deals can be made, customer relations improved and clients gaind.

這句話是倒裝句沒錯， 倒裝句一般都是加強語氣用， 它原來的句子應該是這樣：
Business dinners ,more than just an expensive meal, are important functions where deals can be made, customer relations improved and clients gained.
商業聚餐不止是一頓花費不貲的大餐， 而是重要的社交聚會， 在那樣的場合裡面， 可以完成交易、 改善與顧客的關係、 更可以爭取到客戶
在此要注意一個單字 functions， 除了我們一般所熟知的解釋以外， 例如： 機能、 功用、 職務...它還有一個解釋就是 "社交的集會或宴會"， 這樣用 where 應該就可以理解了吧？
還有 more than 這二個字放在一起連用， 可解為： 多過...、 不止...它把比較級放前頭就是加強語氣， 強調商業聚餐有別於一般吃飯， 不止是吃頓飯而已啦