句子前半没问题,后半应该加上个’发明‘.改善版本：
If Edison had not attempted to use metal in his experiment,the invention of the lightbulb would have been delayed for hundreds of years.主句应用对过去的虚拟吗？不应该是would be delayed吗这种情况从句的谓语得用过去完成时(had+过去分词)，然后主句谓语用’should (would, could, might)+have+过去分词‘： If I had called her，she would have been late. 要是我给她打了电话，她就迟到了。我觉得这个句子应该是错综时态的虚拟语气，主句应用would do