動詞不定式作條件狀語觀點梳理

■本站特約作者 李   翔

一、動詞不定式作條件狀語的歷史傳承

動詞不定式作條件狀語至少可以追溯到成書于1931年George O. Curme 著的Syntax，并且被中外的語法學家所認可，傳承至今。以下是動詞不定式作條件狀語的歷史傳承：

1. George O. Curme 著Syntax(1931年版) (汪璜譯《英語句法》商務印書館 1989年8月第1版)(上冊)P581:

“I was thinking of asking ￡30 for the month.”(for the use of the boat)—“The boat is not worth it to buy.”(=if one should buy it for that price)

《英語句法》(下冊)P201:

I should be glad to go (= if I could go).

I should have been glad to go (=if I could have gone).

He would have been foolish to do it (=if he had done it).

2. R. W. ZANDVOORT 著 A Handbook Of English Grammar (First published 1957)P10： In so-called “free-adjuncts”, the idea of purpose may be weakened, and even shade off into that of circumstance or condition.

To hear him talk, you’d think he knew all about the subject.

3. 李紹基編著的《英語非謂語動詞》（譯林出版社1981年12月第1版）P68：動詞不定式短語有時也可用來表示一定條件，其產生的結果往往帶有虛擬或主觀推斷的性質，因此句中的謂語動詞前常用should, would, could, must等詞。例如：

To hear him talk, you would think he owned the whole world.(=If you should hear him talk, …)

To look at him, you could hardly help laughing.

To listen to him, you should think that no problem whatever existed.

To judge by her reaction, she must deeply felt angry at your remarks.

You would be a fool to refuse this offer.

I should be sorry to see such a day.

4. 馮明儀編《英語非限定動詞》(廣東教育出版社 1986年6月第1版)P46: 5.表示條件動詞不定式表示條件，常見于虛擬語氣中。例如：

I should be glad for Mary to go. (= I should be glad if Mary went.)

You should have done better to have made up with them.(= You should have done better if you had made up with them)

5. 劉樂亭編著的《英語五難題》(北京出版社 1989年2月第1版)P247: 3）作條件狀語

To hear him speak English, one would take him for an English man.

6. 盧盛莽編著的《英語非謂語動詞疑難詳解》(遼寧大學出版社1989年12月第1版)P113:4）作條件狀語。不定式常用于句首，主句謂語動詞多用于虛擬語氣。

To listen to him, you should think that he has gone there. (筆者注：gone應為been)

To hear him talk, you should think he owned the whole world.

7. 李永生主編《實用英語語法》(光明日報出版社 1990年10 月第1版)P169：

To hear him talk, you would think he owned the whole world.（條件）

8. L. G. Alexander著 的Longman English Grammar《朗曼英語語法》(雷航等譯，外語教學與研究出版社1991年1月第1版)P533：

To hear him talk, you’d think he was Prime Minister.(=if you could hear him talk)

9. 劉毅編著的《英語語法寶典》(北京師范大學出版社 1993年12月第1版)P231:

表條件

You would make a great mistake to take his bribe.

(=You would make a great mistake if you took his bribe.)

I should be happy to be of any service to you.

(=If I am of any service to you, I should be happy.)

To hear him talk, you would take for a scholar.

(=If you heard him talk, you would take for a scholar. )

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