would have done的一个用法分析

问题描述

Yet he could not tell anyone about his theory as the powerful Christian Church would have punished him for even suggesting such an idea.

本句出自人教版高中英语教材必修五的Unit 1。请老师分析一下句中 would have punished 的用法。谢谢！

老师答疑

刘老师：

Yet he could not tell anyone about his theory as the powerful Christian Church would have punished him for even suggesting such an idea.

这个问题不难理解。在as 引导的原因从句中，for even suggesting such an idea 相当于一个虚拟条件句：if he had even suggested such an idea

全句可理解为：

the powerful Christian Church would have punished him if he had even suggested such an idea.

这个句子表达的意思，是与过去事实不符的假设：事实上，他并没有（没敢）提出这样一个观点，基督教也没有惩罚他。

沅老师：

其实这是一个含蓄条件的虚拟语气，隐含的条件是 (even) if he had suggested such an idea。句子意思是：他不能把他的理论告诉任何人，因为即使他只暗示有这种想法，他都会受到强大的基督教会势力的惩罚。