在虚拟语气的从句中,动词'be'的过去时态一律用"were",不用was, 即在从句中be用were代替。
If I were you, I would go to look for him.
如果我是你,就会去找他。
If he were here, everything would be all right.
如果他在这儿,一切都会好的。
典型例题
_____ to do the work, I should do it some other day.
A. If were I B. I were C. Were I D. Was I
答案C. 在虚拟条件状语中如果有were, should, had这三个词,通常将if省略,主语提前, 变成 were, should, had +主语的形式。但要注意,在虚拟条件状语从句中,省略连词的倒装形式的句首不能用动词的缩略形式。如我们可说 Were I not to do., 而不能说 Weren't I to do.
这是虚拟语气的要求,不管是第几人称,谓语动词必须用were,
虚拟语气分三种,对过去的虚拟、对现在的虚拟以及对未来的虚拟。相信三种虚拟的句型你已经知道了。
还有一种叫做错综虚拟语气,就是主句和从句虚拟的时态不一样。
在表示虚拟语气的句子中,条件从句表示的的动作与主句表示的动作发生的时间并不一致,这时,谓语动词的形式要根据各自表示的时间来调整,这种现象叫作错综时间虚拟语气,也称作混合虚拟语气。
例如:
If you had taken your medicine yesterday, you would be quite all right now.
如果你昨天吃了药的话,现在就已经痊愈了。(从句表示与过去事实相反的假设,主句则表示与现在事实相反。)
还有一种叫做含蓄虚拟语气。
例如:
May Chair Mao long live!
愿毛主席永远活着!