【英语学习】这个系列的文章，共99篇，这是第22篇！
在基本功（3）中，我们讲解了基础语法，要点：
1. 词性
2. 句子成分
3. 简单句
4. 非谓语动词
5. 并列句和复合句
这是宏观语法框架，简洁清晰：
1. 词性 好比 基本建材（砖瓦、水泥等）
2. 句子成分 好比 基本名称（客厅、餐厅、厨房等）
3. 简单句 好比 普通商品房
4. 非谓语动词 好比 人工复合建材
5. 并列句和复合句 好比 洋房、别墅等
这些内容如此简单，可现实中为何还有很多学生觉得语法很难呢？
这是因为以上宏观内容只要认知即可，而其中的微观细节内容需要厘清并理解，这事不容易。
此进阶（4）系列文章分析这些语法疑难点，此篇分析语法疑难点 之虚拟语气。
1
语气（mood）是英文中谓语动词的一种变化形式，用来表示说话者的意图和态度。
语气分为三种：
陈述语气（indicative mood）
祈使语气（imperative mood）
虚拟语气（subjunctive mood）
其中，虚拟语气较复杂。当说话者谈到与实际情况相反，或者主观想象某事可能发生，或建议、要求某事发生，就需要借助虚拟语气来表达这些心态。
虚拟条件句的两种类型：
假设条件句（hypothetical）
事实相反句（counterfactual）
虚拟条件句的三种时间：
1. 将来：对于将来的情形只能是假设；
2. 现在：对于现在的情形既可以是假设，也可以是谈与现在事实相反的情况；
3. 过去：对于过去，只能是谈与事实相反的情形。
If I were to have the time tomorrow, I would help him.
表示对将来进行虚拟假设
If I had the time now, I would help him.
表示与现在事实相反
If I had had the time yesterday, I would have helped him.
表示与过去事实相反
虚拟条件句的谓语变化
将来虚拟
If I were to live my life over again, I would have you as my wife.
（这句将来虚拟表达的就是一个良好的愿望，但将来不会实现的。）
If I should win the lottery, I would buy a house.
（这里说话人用should，就是表示他对于自己赢得大奖的信心不大，但还是想碰碰运气。也相当于表达了自己将来的愿望。）
事实上，对于很多将来的情况，选择用虚拟还是不用虚拟，完全取决于说话人对所陈述事件的态度，或者说虚拟语气能表明说话人的态度。
What do you think would be the value of the necklace, if Iwere to sell it?
这里“卖项链”这个事件是说话人完全可以控制的，不是像“假如我有来生”那样完全不能掌控，但说话人依然用了将来虚拟的谓语形式were to sell，这只是向读者表明自己不会卖或不大可能会卖这个项链的态度。
既然将来虚拟在很大程度上是由说话人对事件的态度决定的，所以将来虚拟使用起来非常灵活。
比如，同样是上面这个“卖项链”的事件，如果是对于一个急需钱用而且想把自己的项链卖掉来换钱的人，若他在询问卖价，这时他就不会用将来虚拟了，而是用一般陈述的语气来这样说：
What do you think is the value of the necklace if Isell it to you?
这里说话人是真想卖掉项链，所以他就用is和sell这样的一般时态来询问卖价。
真实条件和将来虚拟条件的区别：
(1) If it were to rain, I would stay home.
(2) If it rains, I will stay home.
这种不同语气的选择，反映了说话人对未来下雨的可能性的信心程度不同。
在例句1中，用了虚拟语气，表明说话人认为将来不太可能会下雨。
在例句2中，用了陈述语气，表明说话人认为将来下雨的可能性比较大。
现在虚拟
It is not the lack of love that makes unhappy marriages; it is the lack of friendship. My advice to all men is "Choose in marriage a woman that you would choose as a friend if she were a man". This applies to women in the same way. One tragedy in many marriages is that the romantic love on which it was based never ripened into friendship.
这里作者说“如果这个女人是一个男人”，这是一个对一般情况的虚拟。
ZxCx型虚拟语气，即主句和从句都表示对现在一般情况的虚拟。
此时，主句用would do，而从句用一般过去时态did；若从句的谓语是 be 动词，则一律用were。
If I were a millionaire
The teacher asked his pupils to write an essay, telling what they would do if they had five million dollars. Every pupil except little Sammy began writing immediately. Sammy sat idle, twiddling his fingers and watching the flies on the ceiling.
Teacher collected their papers, and Sammy handed in a blank sheet.
"How is this, Sammy?" asked the teacher. "Is this your essay? Every other pupil has written two sheets or more, while you have done nothing!"
"Well," replied Sammy, "that's what I would do if I were a millionaire!"
过去虚拟
ZgCg型虚拟语气，即主句和从句都表示对过去情况的虚拟。
此时，主句谓语用would have done，而从句谓语用过去完成时态had done。
贝克汉姆与离婚
I grew up in the love of a family. Without Mum and Dad, none of my story would be here for the telling. Like any son, I wouldn't have grown up into the person I am if they hadn't passed on their values to me. Marriage and parenthood, I think, are the two most important things any of us ever take on in our lives. That explains why my parents' splitting up has been probably the most difficult episode I've ever had to face up to in my whole life. To be honest, I'm still trying to face up to it now, probably the hardest thing to deal with has been thinking — or being made to think — that the split was somehow my fault.
贝克汉姆用的是过去虚拟形式wouldn't have grown和hadn't passed，来表示与过去事实相反的假设，因为小贝事实是在父母的教诲下已经长大成人，而且后来成为了世界著名的球星，对此他自己也未曾料到。
他曾在一次新闻发布会上说：
Two years ago if someonehad turnedround to me and said "in two years you'll be England captain", Iwould have turned round and said: "I don't think so!"
2
混合虚拟：主句现在＋从句过去
ZxCg 型虚拟语气，即主句对现在虚拟，用would do形式；从句对过去虚拟，用had done形式。这是最常用的一种混合虚拟语气。
If theyhad investedin that stock, theymight bewealthy now.
如果他们当初投资了那支股票，他们现在就会很富有了。
混合虚拟：主句过去＋从句现在
ZgCx 型虚拟语气，从句谈的是一般情况，是对一般情况的虚拟；主句谈过去，是对过去某一个具体情况的虚拟。
“如果我不爱她，我就不会娶她”
If I don't love her, I won't marry her. ❌
这是一个彻底的Chinglish，并没有表达出原句的“言外之意”：我当然爱她，要不我就不会娶她了 。但实际上他们已经结婚了。
“如果我不爱她”，其实这是“正话反说”，实际上是一直都深爱着她，因此这在英文中就是对现在事实表示虚拟。应该说成：If I didn't love her...
“我就不会娶她”，实际上他们已经结婚了，所以这句话是对过去事实表示虚拟。应该说成：I wouldn't have married her。
If I didn't love her, I wouldn't have married her. ✅
根据以上分析，原句是一个Zg Cx （主过从现）型的混合时间虚拟语气，即主句表示对过去事实的虚拟，从句则是表示对现在事实的虚拟。
若写成：If I hadn't loved her, I wouldn't have married her.
按照前面，这是一个ZgCg （主过从过）型虚拟语气，即主句和从句都表示对过去的虚拟。
含义是：在结婚时，我是爱她的，要不然当时就不会娶她。
言外之意可能是：当时能和她结婚，是因为当时爱她（但现在不爱了）。
若写成：If I didn't love her, I wouldn't marry her.
按照前面，这里的would marry表示两人还没有结婚，说的是将来的情况。
含义是“如果我不爱她，我将来就不打算和她结婚了”。
这显然是以男朋友的身份来说这话的。
倒装虚拟
在英文中，虚拟从句可以采用倒装结构。
当 if 引导的条件句省去 if 时，可将should，had或were置于句首，从而构成倒装虚拟句，而意义不变。
例句：
Countless divorced politicianswould have been elected out of office years agohad they even thought of a divorce, let alone gotten one.
（这里的从句用了倒装结构had they even thought...，相当于说if they had even thought...。主句的谓语是would have been elected，显然是表示对过去情况的虚拟）
For example, they do not compensate for gross social inequality, and thus do not tell how able an underprivileged youngstermight have been had he grown up under more favorable circumstances.
（这是表示对过去的虚拟。这里的倒装结构had he grown相当于if he had grown）
Should I win the lottery, I would buy a car.
= If I should win the lottery, I would buy a car.
如果我能赢得大奖，我就会买一辆车。
跳层虚拟
1. 陈述句＋or＋虚拟主句
这里的连接词除了or，还可以有or else和otherwise
We didn't know his telephone number, otherwise we would have telephoned him.
=We would have telephoned him if we had known his telephone number.
He must have had an accident, or he would have been here then.
（这里or的前面通过用must have had这一形式，来表示对过去的推测，是属于陈述过去，而or的后面则用过去虚拟。）
2. 虚拟主句＋but＋陈述句
He would put on weight, but he doesn't eat much.
（前面的would不是表示过去时态，而是表示对现在事实的虚拟）
=He would put on weight if he ate much.
他本来是会发胖的，但是他特别注意节食，从来不会多吃。
A: I thought you were going to call me last night about the train schedule.
B: Sorry. I would have . But Harry and Jack stopped by and stayed past midnight.
（这里的 I would have是一个省去了called的虚拟主句，表示对过去事实的虚拟，由but后面的陈述句的谓语stopped可得知。）
3
名词从句中的虚拟语气
虚拟语气除了用在上述非真实条件从句以外，在特定的名词从句中也需要用虚拟语气。
这里的“特定的名词从句”，是指这样的名词从句中均要含有特定的标志词，这些标志词可用来表示表示愿望、建议、命令、请求或意志等语气。
名词从句虚拟句无论其主句的谓语动词是何种形式，从句的谓语形式均为should＋动词原形，其中should可以省去。
（特别提醒注意：不是用would，而是用should）
Isuggestthat we should go tomorrow. 建议
His fatherurgedthat he study medicine. 要求
The instructionsaskthat we not take more than three tablets once. 要求
It is strange that he should not come here.
他竟然没来，这真是太奇怪了。
It is my proposal that he be sent to study further abroad. 我建议，把他送到国外去学习。
其他虚拟语气句型
除 非真实条件句和名词从句虚拟句 两种虚拟句以外，还有其他一些句型表示虚拟语气。
1. 在wish后面的宾语从句中
I wish I could travel to the moon (but I can't do that). （对现在虚拟）
我希望我能够登上月球（但实际上我不能）
I wish I had been there. （对过去虚拟）
我真希望我当时在那。
I wish he could explain what he means. （对将来虚拟）
我希望他能解释一下他是什么意思。
2. 在if only感叹句中
If only the rain would stop . （对将来的虚拟）
但愿雨能停。
If only he had followed your advice! （对过去的虚拟）
他要是听从了你的建议就好了！
If he had only followed your advice!
（only句中也✅）
3. 在 as if/as though 引导的从句中
I really don't care for the way you're speaking to me. It seems as if you were my father.
表示与现在事实相反或对现在情况有所怀疑，谓语用过去时
We have not seen each other for ten solid years, but when we encountered on the street that day, we were still so affectionate that it seemed as if not a single day had gone by.
表示与过去事实相反，谓语用过去完成时
4. 在 it is（high）time（that）从句中
该句型表示“该是做什么事的时候了”，含有“晚了一点”的意思，从句中用过去时。
It seems to be high time that this argumentwereput to an end.
现在似乎是时候结束争吵了。
"You are very selfish. It's high time yourealizedthat you are not the most important person in the world," Edgar said to his boss angrily.
埃德加生气地对他老板说：“你太自私了。你早就应该知道，你绝对不是这个世界上最重要的人。”
5. 在would rather，would（just）as soon，would sooner，would prefer等从句中
(1) I would rather gothere tomorrow.
我想明天去那里。
(would rather的后面接动词原形，可以表示将来或现在的事件，意指“主语宁愿自己做某事”。这是would rather最常见的用法。)
(2) I took Sally to the cinema last night, but Iwould rather have beenthere alone.
我昨晚带萨丽看电影去了，可是我还不如自己一个人去呢（真不该带她去）。
(这里的would rather have been表示对过去的虚拟，意思是“还不如自己一个人去”，但实际上不是一个人去的。)
(3) Don't come tomorrow. I'd rather you came next weekend.明天就别来了，我希望你下周末过来。
这是would rather后面接从句的用法，意指“主语宁愿让另一个人做某事”。
这里的时间状语next weekend显然是表示一个将来的时间，但句子的谓语却用了came这样的一般过去式，而不用will come，甚至也不用would come。
其他的结构，如would（just）as soon，would sooner和would prefer在接从句时，完全如同would rather的虚拟用法，在此不再赘述。
例句：
I' d just as soonyou didn't speak rudely to her.
我希望你不要那么粗鲁地对她说话。
总结
虚拟语气实操步骤：
第一，是否虚拟
第二，何时虚拟
第三，主句虚拟
第四，从句虚拟
第一步是前提，后面三步相当于虚拟语气的三个变量，即时间变量、主句变量 和从句变量 。
中国学生虚拟语气学习四阶段：
1．混沌阶段
2．考试阶段
3．写作阶段
4．口语阶段
虚拟语气是英语谓语动词的重要变化形式之一，也是比较难以理解和掌握的一大类语法项目，原因是汉语的思维表达中没有虚拟语气的形式体现。
所以，只有反复学习、理解、练习和运用，才能彻底养成英文中的虚拟语气思维方式。
（全文参考《英语语法新思维》，张满胜老师著，非常感谢！）
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