Conditional Sentences (Type 2) in Action (2)

今天我們看另一個 type 2 conditional sentence 的例句。從這句子中，大家可以很清楚地看見作者是如何利用 type 2 conditional sentence 去帶出 if-clause 的假設性。

如要重溫 type 2 conditional sentence 的特性，請先看以下的連結：

http://grammarfun101.blogspot.com/2011/08/conditional-sentences-type-2.html

看看圖片中間的一段文字：

So, in the hypothetical situation posed at the start of this section, if you were employed as the nurse of the blind man to look after him, you would be under a contractual duty to care for him and so could be convicted of an offence for failing to warn him of the danger.

[Note: hypothetical = 假設的，假定的] 

請留意，為了帶出 if-clause 中「你被雇用為一個盲人的護士」的不真實性(unreality)，或假設性(hypothetical nature)，作者並沒有用上 type 1 conditional sentence：

If you are employed (present tense, passive voice) as the nurse of the blind man to look after him, you will be (future simple) under a contractual duty to care for him....  

作者所用的是 type 2：

If you were employed (past tense / past subjunctive, passive voice) as the nurse of the blind man to look after him, you would be  (conditional tense) under a contractual duty to care for him....