A to和till/until
to可以用于时间和地点之前;till/until只用于时间之前。可以用fromto或 fromtill/until结构:
They worked from five to ten/from five till ten.
他们从5点工作到10点。(注意勿与at five to ten混淆,后者意为9点55分。)
但如果句中没有from,就要用till/until而不用to:
Lets start now and work till dark.
让我们现在开始工作一直到天黑。(这里不能用to。)
till/until常常和否定意义的动词连用,以表示强调时间晚了:
We didnt get home till 2 a.m.
我们一直到凌晨两点钟才到家。
He usually pays me on Friday but last week he didnt pay me till the fol-lowing Monday.
他一般在星期五付给我钱,但上星期他一直到第二周的星期一才把钱给我。
till/until也常用做时间连词:
Well stay here till it stops raining.
我们将要呆在这里一直到雨停了。
Go on till you come to the level crossing.
一直走到火车道口的地方。
注意:如果省略了 you come to,那么就要由 to来代替till:
Go on to the level crossing.
一直走到火车道口的地方。
B after, afterwards(副词)
after是介词,后面必须接名词、代词或动名词:
Dont bathe immediately atrer a meal/after eating.
不要饭后/吃饭后就游泳。
Dont have a meal and bathe immediately after it.
不要就餐之后立即游泳。
如果我们不想用名词、代词或动名词,就不能用after,但可以用 afterwards(= after that)或者 then:
Dont have a meal and bathe immediately afterwards.
(译文同上)
They bathed and afterwards played game/played games afterwards./ They bathed and then played games.
他们游了泳,然后做游戏。
afterwards可以位于句首或句末并且可以由soon,immediate- ly,not long等修饰:
Soon afterwards we got a letter.
不久之后我们收到了一封信。
We got a letter not long afterwards.
(译文同上。)
after也可以作连词用:
After he had tuned the piano it sounded quite different.
他给钢琴校过音之后,钢琴的声音完全不同了。
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