在cnn网站在看到的句子:Video broadcast live on Venezuelan state-run news channel, VTV, showed Maduro talking about an economic recovery, when the audio cuts mid sentence.我感到疑惑的是when引导的从句谓语用的是cuts而不是“cut”,请教各位老师:主句用了一般过去时,从句也应该相应用过去时态,这里为何用目前时呢?
Video broadcast live on Venezuelan state-run news channel, VTV, showed Maduro talking about an economic recovery, when the audio cuts mid sentence.
这个句子是CNN网站介绍有关委内瑞拉总统在集会演讲时遭到无人机攻击的新闻的一个句子。句中的when 从句并非修饰句子谓语showed的时间状语,而是修饰talking的时间状语。这种when从句接近一个并列句,大约等于and then suddenly. 比如:
Maduro was talking about an economic recovery, when the audio cut mid sentence.
= Maduro was talking about an economic recovery, and then the audio suddenly cut mid sentence. (电视正在播出)马杜罗在谈论经济复苏,忽然音频中断。
该句谓语showed表示的是委内瑞拉电视台直播马杜罗讲话这件事,为过去的事件,所以用一般过去时。下面show的宾语为电视播出的内容,Maduro talking...为复合宾语,talking为目前分词作宾补(我以前觉得是动名词复合结构,目前看来应该是目前分词作宾补),when从句为非限制性状语从句,补充说明talking的时候发生了一件任何事情。因为马杜罗的讲话和音频中断都是电视播出的内容,这段录像任何时候都可以重复观看,比如,明天观看还是同样的内容。因此when从句的谓语就用一般目前时。这种一般目前时的使用方法就好似大家在谈论一个人写的小说的内容时,小说中的人物做某事,怎么说话,都可以用一般目前时表示,由于大家任何时候都可以拿起这本小说阅读,小说中的人物都会那样说、那样做。比如:In The Cock Crows at the Midnight (《半夜鸡叫》), Gao Yubao (高玉宝)finds the landlord crawling into the chicken coop and then he shouts to his freind to catch the thief. (高玉宝发现地主钻进鸡窝,于是就喊他的同伴来抓贼。)
CNN该条新闻正文中也有一段话,使用的是同样的时态:
Live footage of the event showed him suddenly looking up startled mid-speech, while beside him his wife, Cilia Flores, winces after a loud bang.
Dozens of soldiers are also seen scattering during the event to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Venezuelan national guard in the capital of Caracas.(这段话也是描述电视内容,也用的是目前时)
Seven members of the national guard were hurt during the attack, which the president blamed on far-right elements and Colombias outgoing president, Juan Manuel Santos.(这段话则是记者的讲述,不是电视内容,故用一般过去时。)