7.7 倒装虚拟

7.7 倒装虚拟

在英文中，虚拟从句可以采用倒装结构。具体来说，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。请看例句：

1 Countless divorced politicians would have been elected out of office years ago had they even thought of a divorce, let alone gotten one.

妙语点睛　这里的从句用了倒装结构had they even thought…，相当于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。

精品译文　现如今很多政客都纷纷离婚，这在几年前是不可能的。那时，不要说真的离婚了，哪怕他们有离婚的想法，都一定会被赶下台。

2 For example, they do not compensate for gross social inequality, and thus do not tell how able an underprivileged youngster might have been had he grown up under more favorable circumstances.

妙语点睛　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。

精品译文　例如，它们（指测试）并不能弥补明显的社会不公；因此，它们不能说明一个处于弱势地位的年轻人，如果在较好的环境中成长的话，会有多大才干。

再看其他例句：

3 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。

4 Were he to leave today, he would get there by Monday.

=If he were to leave today, he would get there by Monday. 如果他今天出发，他就能在星期一之前到达那里。

5 Were he to tell us everything, we could try to solve his problem.

=If he were to tell us everything, we could try to solve his problem.

如果他把一切都告诉我们，我们就能想办法解决他的问题。

6 Should you change your mind, no one would blame you.

=If you should change your mind, no one would blame you. 如果你改变主意的话，没有人会责怪你。

7 Had he not been promoted, he would never have remained with the company.

=If he had not been promoted, he would never have remained with the company.

如果他没有被提拔，他就不会继续留在这家公司了。

8 Had such a disaster occurred, the damage would have been incalculable.

=If such a disaster had occurred, the damage would have been incalculable. 如果这场灾难发生，损失将难以估量。

另外在英语口语里，我们常常会使用“疑问句+陈述句”这样的结构，如：

9 Are you ready? Okay we can leave.

妙语点睛　这里的一般疑问句就相当于一个条件从句“If you are ready…”，于是整个句子相当于“如果你准备好了，那我们现在就走”。

精品译文　你准备好了吗？那我们现在就走。

10 Had I known? I would have come sooner.

妙语点睛　这里的言外之意就是，如果我知道，那我就会早点来了。这就相当于一个常规的虚拟句“If I had known, I would have come sooner.”。

精品译文　我知道吗？那我就会早点来了！

到这一节为止，英语里常规的虚拟语气形式都已分析讨论了。说其是“常规”的，是因为这些虚拟句子都是由主句和if引导的从句组成。在接下来的几节内容中，我们将讨论另外一些特殊构造的虚拟语气形式，比如“跳层虚拟句”，它不含if引导的从句，而是通过其他方式来表达“非真实的虚拟条件”。

思维训练 7.7 Key

请选择最佳答案填空。

1. Countless divorced politicians would have been elected out of office years ago had they even thought of a divorce, let alone ______ one.

A. getting

B. to get

C. gotten

D. get

2. ______ to the doctor right away, he might be alive today.

A. If he went

B. Had he gone

C. Were he gone

D. Should he have gone

3. ______ before we depart the day after tomorrow, we should have a wonderful dinner party.

A. Had they arrived

B. Were they arriving

C. Would they arrive

D. Were they to arrive

4. The millions of calculations involved, had they been done by hand, ______ all practical value by the time they finished.

A. could lose

B. would have lost

C. might lose

D. ought to have lost

5. There is a real possibility that these animals could be frightened, ______ a sudden loud noise.

A. being there

B. should there be

C. there was

D. there having been