英語六級語法精析之情態動詞

  注意情態動詞完成式的用法有兩方面的含義:

  1.表示已經發生的情況

  ***1***must have +過去分詞,表示對已發生情況的肯定推測,譯為“***昨天***一定……”。如:

  My pain must have been apparent the moment I walked into the room, for the first man I met asked sympathetically: “Are you feeling all right?”

  ***2***can’t/couldn’t have +過去分詞,表示對已發生情況的否定推測,譯為“***昨天***一定沒……”。 如:

  Mary couldn’t have received my letter; otherwise she would have replied before now.

  ***3***may/might have +過去分詞,表示對已發生的事情做不肯定、可能性很小的推測,或事實上根本沒發生,譯為“也許……”。如:

  At Florida Power’s Crystal River plant, a potentially serious leakage of radioactive water may have been unknowingly caused by an electrician.

  2.表示虛擬語氣

  ***1***needn’t have+過去分詞,表示做了不必做的事,譯為“其實沒必要……”。如:

  As it turned out to be a small house party, we needn’t have dressed up so formally.

  ***2***should /should not have +過去分詞,表示應該做某事但實際上未做,或本不應該做但實際上做了, 譯為“本***不***應該……”。如:

  I regret having left the work unfinished; I should have planned everything ahead carefully.

  ***3***ought to have+過去分詞,表示動作按理該發生了,但實際上未發生,譯為“該……”,與should的完成式含義類似。如:

  The porter ought to have called the fire-brigade as soon as he saw the fire in the stock, which went up in smoke.

  ***4***could have+過去分詞,表示過去本來可以做但卻未做,譯為“完全可以……”。如:

  What you said is right, but you could have phrased it more tactfully.

  ***5***may/might have + 過去分詞,表示過去可以做但實際未做,譯為“***那樣***也許會……”。如:

  It might have been better to include more punchy statistics and photos of equipment in the introduction to further assist first-time office automation managers.

  3.幾個情態動詞常考的句型

  ***1***may/might ***just*** as well“不妨,最好”,與had better相近。如:

  Since the flight was cancelled, you might as well go by train.

  ***2***cannot/can’t…too… “越……越好,怎麼也不過分”。注意這個句型的變體cannot…over…。如:

  You cannot be too careful when you drive a car.

  The final chapter covers organizational change and development. This subject cannot be overemphasized.

  ***3***usedn’t或didn’t use to為used to ***do***的否定式。

  ***4***should 除了“應該”一層意思外,大綱還規定要掌握其“竟然”的意思。如:

  I didn’t expect that he should have behaved like that.