學習英文動詞時態的最佳方法-閱讀故事與敘述文
對於國人來說，英文動詞時態是最難的文法概念之一，即使考時態選擇題都正確的學生，寫作時，時態大多會出錯。理解時態最好的方法是在閱讀小說或敘述文時，注意作者的時態變換，分析其原因。用這種方式閱讀ㄧ、兩本小說或幾篇敘述文後，大致上就能理解英文時態的應用法則，對於寫作時，會有很大的幫助。在本文中，我們將引用E. B. White的作品”The Trumpet of the Swan”的第一章的開頭，來介紹如何透過故事理解英文時態的應用（英文時態總共有十六種，敘事時間分為現在與過去，讀者如果有需要的話，可以參考『徹底理解英文時態』ㄧ文）。
故事中的動詞時態分析
E. B. White的作品”The Trumpet of the Swan”的第一章的開頭
Walking back to camp through the swamp, Sam wondered whether to tell his father what he had seen.
“I know one thing,” he said to himself. “I’m going back to that little pone again tomorrow. And I’d like to go alone. If I tell my father what I saw today, he will want to go with me. I’m not sure that’s a very good idea.
Sam was eleven. His last name was Beaver He was Strong for his age and had black hair and dark eyes like an Indian. Sam walked like an Indian, too, putting one foot straight in front of the other and making very little noise. The swamp through which he was traveling was a wild place—there was no trail, and it was boggy underfoot, which made walking difficult. Every four or five minutes Sam took his compass out of his pocket and checked his course to make sure he was headed in a westerly direction. Canada is a big place. Much of it is wilderness. To get lost in the woods and swamps of western Canada would be a serious matter.
As he trudged on, the boy’s mind was full of the wonder of what he had seen. Not many people in the world have seen the nest of a Trumpeter Swan. Sam had found one on the lonely pond on this day in spring. He had seen the two great white birds with their long white necks and black bills…
在閱讀敘述文或故事時，我們要記住兩個時間點：
- 現在
1.作者寫作的當下，就是現在
2.在故事中，人物說話的內容，如果用直接引述句（用上下引號標示出），那引號內的時間也視同現在（對於故事中人物而言，說話的當下就是現在） - 過去
能被敘述的事件都是已發生過的事，所以故事的敘事時間都是過去
掌握住這兩個時間點，我們來一句句分析下面這篇文章的時態應用。以下，在每個句子中，呈現時態變化的動詞，以粗體標示出來; 名詞子句和形容詞子句以底線標示; 副詞子句則以小括號標示。
能被敘述的事情都已經發生了，所以敘事時間點多為過去，通常用過去簡單式
- Walking back to camp through the swamp, Sam wondered whether to tell his father what he had seen.
有兩個動作，強調先後發生，先發生的用完成式，後發生的用簡單式。Sam先看到某件事（had seen)，才想著要不要告訴爸爸(wondered) - “I know one thing,” he said to himself.
在故事中，人物說話的內容，如果是用上下引號分隔出來的直接引述句，則引號內的敘事時間為現在。所以用現在簡單式know，表示這是說話者當下的事實 - “I’m going back to that little pond again tomorrow.“
一樣在直接引述句中，敘事時間為現在。am going to 再加上句尾時間tomorrow，顯示說話當下，這個動作雖然還沒發生，但說話者一定會做這件事，所以用be going to 代替will為未來式 - ” And I’d like to go alone.“
直接引述句標示說話當下為現在，所以用would like（在口語中=want），表示這是說話者當下想要做的事 - ”（If I tell my father what I saw today,） he will want to go with me.“
一樣在直接引述句中，敘事時間為現在。雖然「告訴」的動作還沒發生，但條件副詞子句沒有未來式，所以用現在簡單式tell，而主要子句的結果還沒發生則用未來式will want表示。在說話者說話的當下，「看到了某個東西」這個動作發生過了，所以用過去式what I saw來表達
＊時間副詞如果是today，時態就非常複雜，寫作時，要想一下，在寫作的當下，已發生的動作用過去簡單式; 還沒發生的動作用未來式will或確定會發生的用be going to;是習慣或狀態用現在簡單式; 正在發生用現在進行式 - ”I’m not sure that’s a very good idea.“
直接引述句標示說話當下為現在，因為是說話當下的狀態，所以用現在簡單式 - Sam was eleven.
從這裡開始，沒有了引述符號，所以敘事時間回到過去，過去的事實或狀態用過去簡單式 - His last name was Beaver. He was strong for his age and had black hair and dark eyes like an Indian. Sam walked like an Indian, too, putting one foot straight in front of the other and making very little noise.
同上 - The swamp through which he was traveling was a wild place—there was no trail, and it was boggy underfoot, which made walking difficult.
敘事時間在過去，強調動作正在做 – Sam「正走在沼澤中」- 用過去進行式was traveling - Every four or five minutes Sam took his compass out of his pocket and checked his course to make sure he was headed in a westerly direction.
敘事時間依然在過去。在這裡，headed是形容詞的概念，意思為-向….走去，不是被動態 - Canada is a big place. Much of it is wilderness. To get lost in the woods and swamps of western Canada would be a serious matter.
敘事時間變為現在，因爲敘述的這件事在作者寫作的當下（現在）還是事實，所以用現在簡單式表達。最後一句是假設語氣的一種，用would be表示作者認為 — 當主詞的情況發生時（但是沒發生），會是很嚴重的事 - （As he trudged on,） the boy’s mind was full of the wonder of what he had seen.
敘事時間又回到過去，但是，在這裡要強調Sam先前「看過」（看的動作的發生時間早於trudged），所以用過去完成式 - Not many people in the world have seen the nest of a Trumpeter Swan.
注意到敘事時間又回到了現在，而且用現在完成式，這表示，一直到作者寫作的當下，都還沒多少人能「見過」Trumpeter Swan的巢 - Sam had found one on the lonely pond on this day in spring. He had seen the two great white birds with their long white necks and black bills.
敘事時間又回到過去，因為故事描述Sam正在走回營地的路上，而「發現」與「看見」這兩個動作比「走在沼澤中」還早發生，時態用過去完成式
照這樣的方式去分析文章中時態變化的原因，對於英文非母語的我們理解英文文法與時態有很大幫助。但是，請千萬不要忘了去欣賞–在這些作品中，作者的用字與寫作技巧。作者如何安排敘事的順序？如何描述事件與景物？如何藉由動作與人物對事件的反應來刻畫人物？作者想要表達的主題是什麼？這些才是閱讀文學的核心，也最能增加你的英文寫作能力。
