众所周知，在含if的主从复合句中，当动词所表示的动作或状态实现的可能性极小或纯属假设时，就要用虚拟语气。这时，主、从句的虚拟式动词一般要在时态形式上保持一致，并具有同一时态意义。如：I should have called you if I had known your telephone number.但是，在含as if /as though和主句动词是wish的主从复合句中，主句动词用同一时态(陈述语气)，从句中的虚拟式动词可用不同时态形式；从句中虚拟式动词用同一时态，主句动词可用不同时态；而且，从句动词的时态意义必须和主句中陈述式动词的时态相比较才真正体现。现详述如下：

　　一、as if /as though从句中虚拟式动词的时态意义

　　1.as if /as though从句中状态动词用过去式、动作动词用过去进行时形式，主语为第一、三人称单数时be用were，表示与主句动词同时的不真实情况。即，若主句动词为现在时，从句动词也表示现在；若主句动词为过去时，从句动词也表示过去(即当时)。如：

　　(1)a)He looks as if he were ill.他(现在)的气色看起来(现在)好像在生病。

　　b)He looked as if he were ill.他(过去)的气色看起来(那时)好像在生病。

　　(2)a)He is acting as though he were smoking .他(现在)做出(现在)在抽烟的样子。

　　b)He acted as if he were smoking .他(过去)做出(过去)在抽烟的样子。

　　2.as if /as though从句中动词用过去完成时形式，表示在主句动作发生之前的不真实情况或不真实的延续一段时间的状态。即，若主句动词为现在时，则从句动词表示过去；若主句动词为过去式，则从句动词表示过去的过去。如：

　　(1)a)He looks as though he had been ill.他(现在)的气色看起来好像(过去)生过病似的。

　　b)He looked as if he had been ill.他(过去)的气色看起来好像(那以前)生过病似的。

　　(2)a)It is as though she had known Millie for years.(现在)仿佛她已认识米莉多年了。

　　b)It was as if she had known Millie for years.(过去)仿佛她已认识米莉多年了。

　　3.as if /as though从句中的动词用过去将来时形式，表示主句动词时态所表示的时间之后的不真实情况。即，若主句动词为现在时，则从句动词表示一般将来；若主句动词为过去时，则从句动词表示过去将来。如：

　　a)He opens his lips as if he would say something.他(现在)张开嘴仿佛(将)要说些什么似的

　　b)He opened his lips as if he would say something.他(过去)张开嘴仿佛(过去)要说些什么似的。

　　由此可见，as if /as though从句中虚拟式动词的时态应根据它是在主句动词时态之前、之后、还是同时而定。

　　二、wish后宾语从句中虚拟语气动词的时态意义

　　wish一般用来表达不能实现或没有把握实现的愿望，这种愿望是不真实的，所以其宾语从句动词用虚拟语气，译成汉语时可用"要

　　是……就好了"、"但愿……"等。其规则与as if /as though从句中的虚拟语气动词形式类似。

　　1.希望与wish时态同时发生的事，状态动词用过去式，动作动词用过去进行时，be在其主语是第一、三人称单数时多用were，少用was。这时，宾语从句所说的事实际上并不存在，只是说话人的一个愿望或遗憾。如：

　　I wish I knew more about the subject.我(现在)要是对这门学科懂得多些就好了。

　　At that time how I wished I knew more about the subject.那时我多么希望我对这门学科懂得多些啊。

　　How I wish it weren't raining .我(现在)多么希望天(现在)不在下雨啊。

　　2.希望在wish时态所体现的时间以前曾发生某事或曾存在某状态，动词用过去完成时形式，或情态动词＋have＋过去分词。这时，宾语从句所反映的事实际上未曾发生或不存在，它表达了说话人的遗憾。如：

　　He always wishes he had had some schooling so that he can make things clearer to us.他经常想，要是他(过去)上过学多好，他可以把问题对我们讲得更清楚了。

　　Little Franz wished he had never wasted so much time in the woods.小弗朗兹(过去)真希望他从未在树林里浪费那么多的时间。

　　I wish I could have been present at the meeting yesterday.要是我昨天能出席会议就好了。

　　3.希望在wish时态将来发生的事，用would＋动词原形。这时，表达了说话人对现在状况的不满和对将来所改进的愿望，但对这愿望的实现不抱太大希望，甚至完全不指望。如：

　　I wish it would stop raining soon.但愿雨会停下来。

　　I wish the prices would g o down.但愿物价会下降。

　　There was so much beauty around us that we wished the journey would never end.我们周围的风景真是美不胜收，我们真希望游程永远不会结束。

　　巩固练习：请根据题干意思选择最佳答案。

　　1.When a pencil is partly in a g lass of water，it looks as if it ____.

　　A.breaks B.has broken C.were broken D.had been broken

　　2.Although she didn't know anything about that /she looked a bit odd /as if she ____ something .

　　A.had known B.knew C.would know D.were knowing

　　3.When he succeeded in the experiment/he wished Ruth ____ there to share in his joy.

　　A.came B.would be C.had been D.were

　　4.Betty looked as though her last friend ____ her.

　　A.had deserted B.deserted C.were deserting D.would desert

　　5.They talked as if they ____ friends for years.

　　A.were B.had been C.would be D.became

　　6.Anne treated me exactly as if I ____ a seeing and hearing child rather than a disabled child.

　　A.were B.had been C.have become D.became

　　7.How I wish I ____ to your party/but I was too busy.

　　A.was coming B.could come C.came D.had come

　　8.I really wish such a loud noise ____ soon.

　　A.will stop B.stopped

　　C.would stop D.had stopped

　　9.-Have you visited the Science Museum ?

　　-No，but I really wish I ____.

　　A.will B.have C.did D.had

　　10.-David is still playing games on the computer.

　　-How I wish he ____ something meaningful!

　　A.did B.were doing C.had done D.would do

　　Keys：1-5CBDAB6-10ADCDB

　　(文/江苏锡山李岳秋；英语通高三版2003学年第11期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)