if it had not been for the storm ,we should have arrived ear

如果单独看句子，可以是It rains. 可以是It is very hot. 也可以是 It is a storm. 同样也可以是There is a storm. 这些句子和楼主给的例句是不一样的理解。 楼主自己翻译后，体会一下： 1）if it had not been for the storm ，we should have arrived earlier. 要不是因为这场暴风雨，我们本应该更早就到达了。 for表示“因为”。 2）If it had not been the storm, we should have arrived earlier. 如果它不是一场暴风雨，我们本应该早就到达了。 3）If there had not been a storm, we should have arrived earlier. 如果不是有一场暴风雨，我们本应该早就到达了。 从句意通顺来看，第2句不妥。