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八、时态的呼应

1.时态的呼应

某些从句,特别是宾语从句中的动词时态,常要受主句中谓语时态的制约,比如主句谓语是一般过去时,从句中的谓语受它影响,也需要用过去时,这就叫时态的呼应(sequence of tenses)。

(1)如果主句中的谓语为现在或将来时态,从句中的谓语时态可以不受影响,即按照意思决定时态:

It' s reported that they are building a new railway.

(比较:They're building a new railway.)

Has he told you when he is going home?

(比较:When is he going home?)

We' re trying to find out where she lives .

(比较:Where does she live?)

(2)如果主句谓语为过去时,则从句谓语的时态要跟着变:

I was glad she was there. (比较:I'm glad you are here.)

He knew he was right. (比较: He knows he is right.)

2.时态调整的方式

若主句谓语为过去时,从句谓语一般要做如下调整:

(1)一般现在时改为一般过去时:

I don't know where they live .

→I didn't know where they lived .

(2)现在进行时改为过去进行时:

He thinks they' re doing the right thing.

→He thought they were doing the right thing.

(3)现在完成时改成过去完成时:

I hear she has won a prize.

→I heard she had won a prize.

(4)现在完成进行时改为过去完成进行时:

I know you' ve been worrying about us.

→I knew you had been worrying about us.

(5)一般将来时改为过去将来时:

I am eager to know whether he' ll accept the offer.

→I was eager to know whether he would accept the offer.

(6)将来进行时改为过去将来进去时:

I think she' ll be playing golf on Saturday.

→I thought she' d be playing golf on Saturday.

(7)将来完成时改为过去将来完成时:

I expect he' ll have changed his mind by tomorrow.

→I expected he' d have changed his mind by then.

(8)将来完成进行时改为过去将来完成进行时:

I know by this time next week you' ll have been working here for 30 years.

→I knew by that time he would have been working there for 30 years.

(9)在转述句中一般过去时多数改为过去完成时:

She said , “I saw your mother this morning.”

→She told me that she had seen my mother that morning.

(10)但如有明确的表示过去时间的状语时:

① 可以保持原来时态:

They say the Goths invaded Rome in A.D.410.

→They said the Goths invaded Rome in A.D.410.

② 有时变不变都可以:

“I lived in Scotland in the 1980's,” Mr.Jones said .

→Mr.Jones said that he (had) lived in Scotland in the 1980's.

3.一些特殊情况

(1)在从句表示一个永恒真理时,谓语形式可以不受主句谓语的影响:

The teacher said that the Yellow River is China's second largest river.

This proved once again that the earth is round.

(2)在转述句中为了避免误会,从句中谓语可保持不变,特别在谈现在仍然存在的情况时:

He told me he works there as an editor.

The doctor said I' ll be all right in a few days.

① 调整时态要考虑具体情况,不同情况可能需做不同处理:

He told me that his wife was ill.

→He told me that his wife is ill.

She said she was leaving that evening.

→She said she is leaving this evening.

② 有时两种时态都可以用,主要看是否强调现在的情况。

Did you say you have/had no money?

→How did you know I was/am Max Wilson?

4.从句中包含由情态动词构成的谓语的调整方法

从句中谓语如包含情态动词要注意下面几点:

(1)can、may、will、shall 可改为 could、might、would、should:

He said he could lift 25 kilograms. (比较:I can lift 25 kilograms.)

I asked her if I should do it right away. (比较: Shall I do it right away?)

(2)could、might、should、ought to 和 must 都可以不变:

I wondered if I could sit there. (比较:I wonder if I could sit there.)

She said all this might be true. (比较:I think all this might be true.)

I knew I shouldn't do that. (比较:I know I shouldn't do that.)

(3)有时 must 可改为 had to:

She told me she had to leave at ten. (比较:I know she must leave at ten.)

(4)作情态动词时,need 和 needn't 一般不变:

He was told that he needn't do it. (比较:He needn't do it.)

I asked him whether he need go. (比较: Need he go?)

She didn't think he need worry. (比较:You needn't worry.

(5)而 dare 可改为 dared:

He wondered if she dared. (比较:He didn't know if she dare.)

Exercises

Ⅰ.Complete each sentence by choosing the most appropriate answer from the four choices.

1.The old woman _____ sit on a bench in the quiet park and look at others for hours without doing anything.

A.would

B.will

C.could

D.can

2.Tom was so careless that he _____ his left leg when he was riding to work.

A.hurts

B.hurt

C.has hurt

D.had hurt

3.The air will be further polluted unless some measures _____.

A.will be taken

B.are taken

C.were taken

D.had been taken

4.At college, Barack Obama didn't know that he _____ the first black president of the United State of America.

A.would become

B.will become

C.became

D.has become

5.Ever since the family moved to the countryside last year, they _____ a quiet life there.

A.could have enjoyed

B.had enjoyed

C.have been enjoying

D.are enjoying

6.The growth of part-time and flexible working pattern _____ more graduates to take advantage of employment opportunities.

A.allowing

B.allow

C.have allowed

D.allows

7.There was a knock at the door.It was the second time someone _____ me that evening.

A.had interrupted

B.would have interrupted

C.to have interrupted

D.to interrupt

8.There seemed little hope that the explorer, _____ in the dessert, would find his way through it.

A.to be deserted

B.to have been deserted

C.having deserted

D.having been deserted

9.In his plays Shakespeare _____ characters live through their language.

A.would make

B.had made

C.made

D.makes

10.I didn't see her in the meeting room this afternoon.She _____ at the meeting.

A.mustn't have spoken

B.shouldn't have spoken

C.needn't have spoken

D.couldn't have spoken

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks with the proper forms of the words given in the brackets.

11.He won't be free on Saturday morning, he _____ (attend) a meeting.

12.When he hurried to the airport, he found, to his great disappointment, his ticket and passport _____(left) at home.

13.The structure and the function of our mobile phone _____(change) all the time.

14.I _____ (smell) something unpleasant; they must be preparing methane.

15.When Ann has her own house, she _____(install) built-in stereo speakers in every room.

Ⅲ.Correct the mistakes in the following sentences.

16.The price of petroleum on the world market has been risen higher each week.

17.Experiment on animals had conducted long before the medicine was applied to patients.

18.My grandfather feels quite good after the operation, but his health has taken a turn for the worse.

19.I am very pleased to say that all of us greatly improved our spoken English so far.

20.By the time educators introduced reforms in education, there has been a serious decline in achievement in fundamental subjects.

Ⅳ.Translate the following sentences into English.

21.她总是帮助别人。

22.我买了一辆新车,但是旧车还没有卖掉,所以现在我有两辆车。

23.她以前总是每周探望一次她的父母。

24.您介意我坐在这里吗?

25.会议从开始到结束将持续整整10天。

Keys:

1.A

2.B

3.B

4.A

5.C

6.D

7.A

8.D

9.D

10.D

11.shall be attending

12.had been left

13.is being changed

14.smell

15.will install

16.has been risen→has been rising

17.had conducted→had been conducted

18.feels→felt

19.greatly improved→have greatly improved

20.has been→had been

21.She always helps others.

22.I bought a new car, but I haven't sold my old one yet, so at the moment I have two cars.

23.She used to visit her parents once a week.

24.Would you mind my sitting here?

25.The conference will have lasted 10 days by the time it ends. oxIeWa7XmXQGdPBCwK502+bjPukuKeRsLL8mdnZWOjhLKU226Ja2G5inMhJ0741B

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