as if ⁷

一般而论,如果 as if 从句所表达的内容完全与实际情况相反或者纯粹是一种假设时,通常使用虚拟语气。句(1)含有“你并不是我的儿子”这个含义。请分析下面各例:

1. He acts as if he knew you. (具有“他并不认识你”的含义) 看他的样子似乎认识你似的。

2. She looks as if she were angry. (具有“她并没有真的生气”的含义) 看她的表情, 她好像生气了似的。

3. He walks as if he were drunk. (说话人认为“他并没有喝醉”) 他走路的样子好像是喝醉了似的。

4. The mood was light and joyous, as if the air itself had changed in an afternoon. (Hillary, Living History) 气氛轻松而欢乐，仿佛一个下午空气自己就改变了。(希拉里，《亲历历史》)

如果 as if(though) 从句所表达的内容被看作是事实或者有可能是真实的, 就要使用陈述语气。

1. He walks as if he is drunk. 他走路好像喝醉了似的。

2. It looks as if she is in love again. (RWRT) 看上去好像她又坠入情网了。

3. It looks as though we shall have to do the work ourselves. (Wood) 看来我们好像不得不自己来做这项工作了。

4. It seems as if we shall have to walk. (AEP) 看来好像我们不得不走着去了。

5. It looks as if my parents treat me as a visitor and a guest. (全国高考,01-83) 我的父母好像是把我当作访问者和客人似的。

在你所提问的句(2)中, as if 从句使用陈述语气, 是因为说话人认为“真的要下雨”。因此之故, RWRT 作者们认为应将下列句中的 as if snow were coming 改为 as if snow was coming:

The light, though late now, was sharp, as if snow were coming on... behind that freezing iron leaf he watched the slice of cold evening, and pulled his coat across his chest. (RWRT)

尽管当时已经迟了，光线还很分明，似乎接着就要下雪了……在那冻结得铁一般的叶子后面，他看着这一片寒冷的夜晚，并把外套拉过胸部。（译文引自《英语准确用词词典》）

但是,也有特殊的情况:as if 从句使用陈述语气或使用虚拟语气,其意义并没有什么差别。这主要是因为从上下文或句义可以明显地看出 as if 从句所表达的内容是非真实的。

1. She treats me as if $\$left\{\begin{array}{l} I'm \\ I were \end{array}\right\} a stranger. (CGEL) (这两个句子都意味着“我并不是一个陌生人”) 她对待我的态度就好像我是个陌生人似的。

2. There he is to the life, looking as if at any moment he will slowly open those large grey heavy lidded eyes, stare at us solemnly for a minute, and then declare that “really he hasn’t the least idea.” 这是写生画出来的他的肖像，看上去现在还好像他会慢慢地睁开那大而灰色的，眼皮重重地垂下着的两眼，严肃地望着我们，一会儿之后，就会说出，“我真是一点也不知道呀。”（译文引自钱歌川《英文疑难详解续篇》，p. 162）

3. She did not recognize the banker, but he for a moment looked as if he'd seen a ghost. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 她根本就没有认出这位银行家，可他刚才一刹那的表情就像看到了鬼似的。（《达·芬奇密码》）

(参见 as if $^{5}$ )