3 时间状语能修饰非谓语动词吗
Before A.D.900, manuscripts of the Koran (the book containing the teachings of the Islamic religion) seem to have been the most common type of book produced and decorated, but after that date a wide range of books were produced for a broad spectrum of patrons.
曹老师您好，我阅读这个句子的时候，很疑惑为什么时间状语明明是过去的时间“Before A.D.900”，谓语动词“seem”却是一般现在时。然后有人说“Before A.D.900”是修饰“have been”的，也就是“现在看来，这书稿在公元后900年之前是最流行的类型”。后来我问如果这个句子改成下面这样，时间状语在修饰谁？
Before A.D.900, manuscripts of the Koran (the book containing the teachings of the Islamic religion) seemed to have been the most common type of book produced and decorated, but after that date a wide range of books were produced for a broad spectrum of patrons.
他们认为改动句里的时间状语修饰“seemed”。
请问曹老师：他们说得对么？如果他们没说错，我是否可以理解为：在任意一个句子中，默认时间状语优先修饰谓语动词。如果谓语动词的时态和时间状语并不匹配，那么时间状语修饰的就是句中的非谓语动词。
最佳答案 2023-05-02 17:52
Before A.D.900这个状语位于句首，语法上是不允许把它理解为不定式to have been的状语，而只能是句子状语。所以主句谓语动词seem用现在时为语法错误。我认为这是作者的疏忽所致。句子可以做以下修改：
1 Before A.D.900, manuscripts of the Koran (the book containing the teachings of the Islamic religion) seemed to be the most common type of book produced and decorated, but after that date a wide range of books were produced for a broad spectrum of patrons.
before时间状语修饰谓语动词seemed。注意此时不定式不能用完成体，而应该用一般体。因为不定式to be 和 seemed是相同的过去时间，而不是先于谓语时间。
2 Manuscripts of the Koran (the book containing the teachings of the Islamic religion) seem to have been the most common type of book produced and decorated before A.D.900, but after that date a wide range of books were produced for a broad spectrum of patrons.
在这个句子中，before时间状语修饰不定式to have been。但由于book带有后置的过去分词短语作定语，before时间状语有可能被误读为是修饰过去分词的时间状语。
3 It seems that, before A.D.900, manuscripts of the Koran (the book containing the teachings of the Islamic religion) were the most common type of book produced and decorated, but after that date a wide range of books were produced for a broad spectrum of patrons.
本句采用it seems that句式，系词be成了that从句的谓语动词，before时间状语修饰be，所以用were。
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