 放大圖片
■《The Danish Girl》劇照。 資料圖片
最近有一套準備上演的大熱電影 《The Danish Girl》（丹麥女孩），內容大致講述一名已婚男子的變性過程。性別是與生俱來的，人類應該作後天改變嗎？受着電影的影響，令我也不禁思考Gender identity(性別認同)這回事。如Beyoncé的大熱歌曲《If I were a boy》（如果我是一個男孩）所寫，到底我會在做什麼呢？
Type 2 ：上期提到，conditional sentences type 0 & type 1 的用法，都是必然或也許會發生的事。而type 2 的用法卻完全不同，主要是描述imaginary （想像出來）或 untrue （不真實）的情況。例如"If I were a boy, I would turn off my phone." (如果我是男孩，我會關掉手機)， "If I knew how to swim, I would go to the beach with you." (如果我懂得如何游泳，我會和你去沙灘)。
當使用Type 2 條件句時，一切都只是想像出來，不可能會發生的。因為事實上，我不是男孩，亦不懂游泳。
Usage: 運用type 2 時，if-clause （如果句） 會用simple past tense，main clause（主句）會用would/could/might + bare infinitive，如剛才的例子「If I were..., I would turn...；If I knew..., I would go...」
Type 3 ：type 3條件句所描述的情況，如type 2 一樣，也是不可能發生的。只是，type 3用於表達因為某件過去沒有／有發生的事，所感到後悔或惋惜的情感。例如，"If I had got up earlier, I would not have missed the school bus."（如果我早點起床，我就不會錯過了校車）現實中，是因為遲了起床，所以趕不及校車；"If I had not been sick, I would have gone to Japan with mom."（如果我沒有生病，我已經和媽媽去了日本）事實上，我沒有去日本，因為生病了。
Usage: 運用type 3，if-clause （如果句）會用past perfect tense，而main clause（主句）則是would have + past participle，如「If I had got ..., I would not have missed... ；If I had not been ..., I would have gone...」
以下是不同的例子，可作參考：
Type 2
1. If you were here, you would enjoy the party.
2. If Kate saw you, she would be angry.
Type 3
1. If I had seen you, I would have said hello.
2. If Billy had not loved you, he would not have cried.
■程韻
作者簡介：英國文學碩士，在男校任教英語的女教師，愛好文學和動物。
Exercises
Choose the more appropriate answers.
1. If I were handsome, the girl ___________________ me. (will marry/would marry)
2. If you are polite to every one, people______________ you. (will like / would have liked)
3. If Kate had been here, she _______________ (will have eaten/would have eaten) a lot.
4. If Jason ________________ more hardworking, he would not have failed the test. (was / had been)
5. If I were the president, I _______________ the policy. (amended / would amend)
Answers:
1.would marry
2.will like
3.would have eaten
4.had been
5.would amend
隔星期五見報
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