摘 要:虚拟语气是英语语法界争论的焦点之一,是英语教学中的难点,也是各类考试的热点,本文从语用角度对虚拟语气进行分析与归纳,旨在使学生对虚拟语气的结构、用法及功能有进一步的认识,从而熟练掌握其解题技巧。
关键词:虚拟语气 形式和用法 隐形形式
一、引言
虚拟语气表示说话者所说的话与事实相反或实现的可能性极小,或表示愿望、请求及建议等。虚拟语气用法较繁杂,而且其形式与陈述语气有较大差异,在任何形式的考试中都具有很重要的分量,尤其在是高考、大学英语等级、托福等考试中,虚拟语气往往在语法选择、完形填空或者阅读理解题中存在。在阅读理解里,如果我们掌握了虚拟语气的句型、结构、用法、意思,对于我们理解文章的大意和作者的态度会很有帮助,这样有利于我们回答关于作者态度观点方面的问题。但大部分考生这一部分的成绩不理想,由于汉英的文化差异,许多中国英语学习者在正确理解以及运用虚拟语气时确实存有困难。
二、虚拟语气的应用
(一)虚拟语气在非真实条件句中的应用(subjunctive mood in unreal conditional clause)
所谓条件句是指含有条件状语从句(adverbial clause of condition)的复合句。英语中的条件句一般有两种:真实条件句和非真实条件句,虚拟语气用在非真实条件句中的形式和用法有以下三种:
1. 对现在情况的假设:表示现在实际上并不存在的情况,其形式如下表:
例如:
①He wouldn’t feel so cold if he were indoors.
他要是在屋内就不会觉得冷了。
②I am sorry I am very busy just now.If I had time, I would certainly go to the movies with you.
很对不起,我现在很忙。如果我有时间,我一定回陪你一起去看电影的。
2. 对过去情况进行的假设: 表示过去事实上并没有发生或者已经发生了事情。其形式如下表:
例如:The earthquake might have caused great damage to the people if we hadn’t got well prepared.
倘若我们没有做好准备,地震就会使人民财产遭受巨大损失。
3. 对将来情况的假设:表示将来不太可能实现的情况,其形式如下:
例如:If it were to rain (rained, should rain) tomorrow, I should stay at home.
如果明天下雨的话,我就呆在家里。
(二)虚拟语气在表示要求、建议、命令等的从句中的应用
虚拟语气还用在表示要求、建议、命令等意思的从句中,其形式是“should+动词原形”或省去should直接用动词原形,后一种情况多用于美语当中。这类句子也称“要求从句或建议从句”。这类动词的名词或形容词形式后面都可以带类似的虚拟语气句式。
1. 用在宾语从句中。该宾语从句中虚拟语气的使用,取决于主句中的谓语动词,常见的这类动词有:suggest, order,demand, propose, command, request, insist, require等等,例如:
The teacher insisted that the seats (should) be booked in advance.老师坚持要预定座位。
2. 用在主语从句中。该主语从句中虚拟语气的使用,取决于主句中作表语的形容词或分词,常见的这类形容词或分词有:important, necessary, imperative, natural, urgent, essential,required, suggested, requested等等,例如:
It is necessary that some immediate effort (should) be made.
有必要立即采取措施。
It was required that all the tasks should be finished at once.
他们要求任务必须马上完成。
3. 用在表示建议、命令、要求或想法、计划等名词后面的表语从句、同位语。常用的这类名词有:advice, demand, order, necessity, resolution, pay, decision, proposal, requirement,motion等等,其后的从句中,谓语动词的形式为“(should) do”。例如:
My request is that we(should)finish the work today.
我的要求就是我们今天必须完成工作。
We all agreed to his suggestion that we (should) go to Beijing for sightseeing.
他建议我们去旅游,我们一致同意。
(三)虚拟语气在wish从句中的应用。与表示建议、命令等的从句一样,虚拟语气在wish从句中的应用涉及的也是四种名词从句,即:宾语从句、主语从句、表语从句和同位语从句。与非真实条件句的虚拟语气形式相似,wish从句也有三种时间,所不同的是在非真实条件句中指的是过去、现在、将来的绝对时间,而wish从句涉及的只是相对于谓语动词wish 的相对时间,具体形式如下:
与现在事实相反,用were 或动词的一般过去式;与过去事实相反,用had+过去分词或would/could+have+过去分词;表示与将来没有把握或不太可能实现的愿望,用would/should/could/might+动词原形。例如:
I wish I were you.我要是你就好了。
I wish you would go with us tomorrow.你明天和我们一起去就好了。
I wish she had taken your advice.她要是听你的话就好了。
(四)虚拟语气在as if/as though引导的从句中的应用。
在as if,as though引导的方式状语从句中,谓语动词形式与wish后面宾语从句中的谓语动词形式相同。例如:
He speaks as if/as though he were a foreigner.
He speaks as if/as though he had done something wrong.
但是as if /as though 引导的从句有时也用陈述语气,尤其是主句的谓语动词为感官动词,从句用陈述语气来表示较大的真实性或可能性,例如:
It looks as if it is going to snow.看起来天要下雪了。
(五)虚拟语气在一些特殊结构中的应用。
虚拟语气在would/had rather, would just as soon 等结构中的应用。此类结构通常表示“希望”或“委婉”的责备,其谓语动词形式用过去式表示现在或将来,用过去完成式表示与过去事实相反。表示“宁愿做什么”或“对过去做的事的懊悔”,例如:
Blackwould rather his daughter did not work in the same office.
经理宁愿她女儿不与他在同一间办公室工作。
To be frank, I’d rather you were not involved in the case.
坦率地说,我希望你不要卷入这件事。
注:若某人愿自己做某事,would rather后用动词原形。
I would rather stay at home today.
would rather than 中用动词原形I would rather stay at home than go out today.
2 It’s (high, about) time that 句型中,that从句中要求用虚拟语气形式,即动词要用过去式。
①It’s time that something was done about the traffic problem downtown.
②It is high time that we put an end to this discussion.
3. as, 或者whether…or…谓语多用be的原形,引导让步虚拟从句,这种用法通常采用倒装结构:Church as we use the word refers to all religious institutions, be they Christian, Islamivc, Buddhist, Jewish, and so on. The business of each day, be it selling goods or shipping them, went quite smoothly.
4. if it were not for…表示与现在事实相反,if it had not been for表达与过去事实相反,两个都相当于but for: If it had not been for his help(=but for his help),we would not have succeeded.
(六)含蓄虚拟条件句
这种含蓄条件没有明显表现出来,而是通过各种手段和方式在上下文中表现出来。该隐含条件可能为真实条件,也可以为非真实条件。尽管隐含的条件概念没有含条件状语从句的复合句那样明显,但也能较为充分地表达出“条件”的含义。因此,了解英语中的含蓄条件句将有助于我们对于英语的理解与翻译。常用来表示含蓄虚拟条件的手段有:
1. 介词或介词短语,如but for, but that, without, in case of, under more favorable condition等。例如:
But for your cooperation, we could not have succeeded in our experiment.没有你的合作,我们的实验就不可能获得成功。
2. 连词,如:so that, unless, in case, supposing, lest, provided(倘若……),for fear that(唯恐),in order that, on condition that, if only(要是……就好了)等。
She listened carefully in order that she might discover exactly what he wanted.=If she listened carefully ,she might discover exactly what he wanted. If only I had more money, I could buy a car.
(注:lest, for fear that 和 in case 引导的从句中谓语动词多用should+动词原形,但有时可以不用虚拟语气,而用动词的陈述语气形式。)例如:
The foreign teacher spoke slowly in case we misunderstood him.
这位外籍教师说得很慢以免我们听不懂。
3. 通过上下文及内在含义,句中往往有but, otherwise, unfortunately等类似转折词。
I thought the children _____when we returned home, but they were still awake.
A. were sleepingB. would be sleeping
C. had been sleeping D. would sleep
选择 B。
4. 形容词及其比较级
A more careful person would not have made so many mistakes.
如果再小心点就不会犯这么多错误了。
5. 分词短语
Born ten days earlier, the boy could have seen his late father.
6. 动词不定式短语
一般intended/meant/hoped/wished/planned 或 was/were+不定式完成式或had intended/meant/planned/hoped/wished/+不定式一般式表示虚拟。例如:
I intended I should call on you, but I was busy at that time.
7. 名词短语和名词+and结构
A diligent student would have worked harder.
8. 独立主格结构
All things considered, the price would be reasonable.
9. 定语从句
A nation,which stopped working,would be dead in a fortnight.
10. 情态动词完成式暗示虚拟语气
I should have called to make an airline reservation, but I didn’t.
(七)其它情况
虚拟语气在公式化的句子中的应用。在一些公式化的句子中的虚拟语气由动词原形(不与主语保持人称、时态和数的一致)或“may+动词原形”(经常倒装)构成的谓语来体现,表示愿望。例如:
Long live the People’s Republic of China!
中华人民共和国万岁!
May you succeed!祝你成功!
Heaven forbid!天理不容!
三、结束语
虚拟语气既是一种重要的语法问题,又是一种较难的语法问题,也是一种容易被学生忽视的语法问题。一直是英语界争论的焦点。有学者认为,在日常运用中,英语虚拟语气已呈现衰退趋势。但在许多历史悠久的考试,如高考、托福及大学英语级别考试中,虚拟语气却是必考项目。全面、深刻地理解虚拟语气,学习虚拟语气,练习虚拟语气,从而提高驾驭语言的能力,虚拟语气学习的方法是多种多样的,而虚拟语气测试也是由此重点展开的,也就是说,在学习虚拟语气的过程中,要保持积极思维,主动探求的状态,用科学有效的方法来学习虚拟语气,特别是要善于从虚拟语气测试的实战中来学习虚拟语气,就能打好虚拟语气学习的基础,就能够正确把握住虚拟语气测试的特点,理清做题的思路,在英语考试中取得好成绩。
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