英语早间课堂:Somebody does as if somebody was.
Last time we learned a sentence pattern which is : Somebody does as if somebody did. 我们说过了，这个是一个含有表语从句的复合句，主句用一般现在时，表语从句用一般过去时。主语和从句的时态体现了虚拟语气在表语从句中的运用，昨天我们学的是对现在情况的主观认为，并不是客观事实，也就是说从句中所表述的事情与现实相反，谓语结构如上所述。凡是由as if引导的表语从句几乎是要使用虚拟语气。(当然有特例，今后会学到。)【习题答案】
1 她这样对待她的女儿，好像这女儿不是她生的。
She treats her daughter like that as if she wasn't hers.
2 他表现得好像他是这个地方的主人。
He behaves as if he owned the house.
3 她谈起来仿佛她知道他在那儿似的。
She talks as if she knew where he was.
【今日主题】
Let's look at the answer to the first exercise: She treats her daughter like that as if she wasn't hers. 这句话中as if引导的从句的谓语是was。So , we can have another sentence pattern: Somebody does as if somebody was..。今天的重点就是在这个从句中的谓语was上面。昨天我们的从句中是did，它是实义动词，如果是系动词，我要懂得灵活地把系动词变为一般过去式。Let's look at another example sentence：She said nothing but sat there as if she were in a trance [trɑ:ns] (n.恍惚;出神) 她话也不说, 坐在那里好像在发呆。【 she是第三人称单数，为什么这里用were, 例句中的不是was吗?】That's a good question. 在虚拟条件句中，我们说过了，如果主语是第三人称单数，谓语可以用were，也可以用was. Have you got it?
The above complex sentence is from two simple sentences. They are : She said nothing but sat there. It is as if she were in a trance. 所以如果是从这个角度来说的话，as if 引导的就是表语从句。所以现在语法专家持有异议。
Let's look at more example sentences. I remember it vividly as if it were tonight (In fact, it doesn't happen tonight. ). 我清楚地记得这事儿。这事儿就好像发生在今晚。She stares at me as if she were angry with me about it . ( In fact she was not angry. ) 她盯着我，好像生气了。Now let change the above two sentences into two simple sentences. The first one is : I remember it vividly. It is as if it were tonight. The second one is : She stares at me. It is as if she were angry with me about it.
