“John wants to see you today.”“I would rather he ____ tomorrow than today.”
A. comes B. came C. should come D. has come(TOEFL)
正确答案为 B(came)。但是我不明白为什么动词的过去时 came 与将来时间 tomorrow 连用。
宾语从句中的过去时(came)并非陈述语气的过去时,而是虚拟语气的过去时,它不是指过去,而是指现在或将来。I'd rather 这个句型表示可能实现、也可能难以实现的愿望。例如:
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I would rather you didn't invite too many people. 我宁愿你不邀请太多的人。
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I'd rather you were happy. 我宁愿你幸福。
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I would much rather it was forgotten. (Du Maurier) 我宁愿这件事被遗忘了。
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I'd rather you told me the truth. (Eckersley) 我宁愿你告诉我实情。
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Would you rather I did it? (Wood) 你愿意我来做这件事吗?
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I'd rather you didn't mention the price. (CGEL) 我宁愿你不提价钱。
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Many residents would rather that the bus service were subsidized. (CGEL) 许多居民宁愿给公共汽车服务人员发津贴。
如果想指过去,就必须用过去完成时:
I'd rather you hadn't told me about it. 我宁愿你未曾把这件事告诉我。
[附注]在 I'd rather 之后的宾语从句中,亦可使用一般现在时,但较罕见:
I'd rather you go home now. 我宁愿你现在就回家。
[参见 would rather ('d rather) (that)]