英语时间状语从句的用法及有关说明

 

一、普通类从属连词

引导时间状语从句的普通类从属连词有when（当……时），while（在……期间），as（当……，一边……一边……），before（在……之前），after（在……之后），since（从……以来），till/until（直到），whenever（无论何时），as soon as（一……就）等。如：

When I went into the classroom, he was reading. 当我走进教室时，他正在看书。

He read a newspaper as he went along. 他边走边看报纸。

We must strike while the iron is hot. 我们必须趁热打铁。

I will tell you after they leave. 于他们走后我再告诉你。

I told him to come back whenever he wants to. 我告诉他什么时候想回来就回来。

I waited till/until she was back. 我一直等到她回来。

Once time is gone, you will never get it back. 时间一旦失去就再也得不到了

Things were different when I was a child. 我小时候情况与现在不同。

We must strike while the iron is hot. 我们要趁热打铁。

It’s a long time since I met you last. 从上次见到你，已有很长时间了。

He waited until she was about to leave. 他等着一直到她准备离开。

 

注意：在时间状语从句中，不能用一般将来时、过去将来时态或将来完成时，而要用相应的一般现在时态、一般过去时或现在完成时来代替。如：

I’ll telephone you as soon as I get there. 我一到达那里就打电话给你。

She said she would phone me as soon as she got there. 她说她一到达那里就给我电话。

Don’t get off the bus until it has stopped. 等车停稳后才下车。

 

二．普通类从属连词讲解

1. 用when引导：when表示“当……时候”。如：

Things were different when I was a child. 我小时候情况与现在不同。

People breathe more slowly when they are asleep. 人睡觉时呼吸比较缓慢。

2. 用while引导：while表示“当……时候”。如：

We must strike while the iron is hot. 我们要趁热打铁。

I went swimming while the others played tennis. 我去游泳，其余的人都打网球去了。

注意：while 所引导的时间状语从句中谓语动词必须是持续性的，不能是短暂性的。

3. 用as引导：as表示“当……时候”“随着”。如：

He dropped the glass as he stood up. 他站起来时，把杯子摔了。

We get wiser as we get old. 随着年岁的增长，我们也变得聪明些了。

4. 用before引导：before表示“在……之前”。如：

Turn off the lights before you go to bed. 睡觉前要关灯。

Before he went to university he was a worker. 上大学之前他是工人。

5. 用after引导：after表示“在……之后”。如：

I will tell you after they leave. 他们走我再告诉你。

After you finish the letter show it to me．信写完后给我看看。

6. 用until / till引导：until / till表示“直到……”。如：

He waited until she was about to leave. 他等着一直到她准备离开。

I watched him until he disappeared in the distance. 我瞧着他直到他在远处消失。

这类句型的主句动词通常只能是延续性动词，不能是终止性动词。但是，在否定句中，主句动词可以是终止性动词，此时构成not…until [till]…句式，意为“直到……才……”。如：

She didn’t marry until she was over fifty. 她直到五十多岁才结婚。

We’d better not go until your sister arrives. 我们最好等你姐姐到了再走。

7. 用since引导：since表示“自从……以来”。如：

We have known each other since we were children. 我们从小认识。

They’ve moved twice since they got married. 他们结婚后已搬了两次家。

这类句子的主句通常用现在完成时。但是，当主句表示一段时间时，可用一般现在时代替现在完成时。如：

It’s a long time since we met last. 好久没见面了。

How long is it since you came in London? 你来伦敦有多久了?

8. 用as soon as引导：as soon as表示“一……就……”。如：

The boys ran off as soon as we appeared. 我们一来，孩子就都跑了。

He started as soon as he received the news. 他一接到消息就出发了。

表示“一……就……”这一意思的连词，除as soon as外，还可用the moment, the minute, the instant等。如：

I want to see him the minute he arrives. 他一来到我就要见他。

The moment I saw him I knew there was no hope. 我一看到他就知道没希望了。

 

 

三、含 time的短语

可引导时间状语从句的 time 短语有every time, each time, (the) next time, (the) last time, by the time, the first time, any time 等。如：

Every time I listen to music, I’ll think of it. 每当我听音乐，我就想起这事。

He didn’t tell me anything the last time I saw him. 上次我见到他时他什么也没告诉我。

Each time she moved her head she let out a moan. 她每转动一下头，就发出一声呻吟。

Every time I see her I’ll think of it. 每次我看到她，我就想起这事。

He felt nervous each time she spoke to him. 每次她和他讲话，他都感到紧张。

He didn’t tell me the last time I saw him. 我上次见到他时他没告诉我。

You can call me any time you want to. 你随时都可以给我打电话。

Each time I went there, I saw him working. 我每次去那儿都看见他在工作。

Every time I call on him, he is out. 我每次去访问他，他都不在。

Next time you come in, please close the door. 下次你进来，请关门。

 

 

四、表示“一……就……”

除as soon as外，还有三类：名词型——the moment, the minute, the second, the instant；副词型——immediately, directly, instantly；句式型——no sooner…than…, hardly/scarcely…when…。如：

The moment I saw him I knew that there was no hope. 我一看到他，就知道没有希望了。

I came immediately you called. 你一来电话我就来了。

I had no sooner got home than it began to rain. 我一到家就下起雨来了。

Immediately he came I told him the news. 他一来我就把消息告诉了他。

The moment I saw him I knew there was no hope. 我一看到他就知道没希望了。

We had no sooner set out than it began to rain. 我们刚出发就下雨了。

Once he arrives, we can start. 他一来我们就可以开始。

I want to see him the minute he arrives. 他一来到我就要见他。

The moment I saw him I knew there was no hope. 我一看到他就知道没希望了。

如果hardly, scarcely 或no sooner置于句首，句子必须用倒装结构。如：

Hardly/Scarcely had I got home when it began to rain.

No sooner had I got home than it began to rain.

 

 

五、对before从句的理解

before的本意为“在……之前”，根据具体语境还可理解为“还没来得及/还没有……就……，趁着还没……就……，不知不觉就……，……才……”等。如：

I had not sat long before he came back. 我没坐多久他就回来了。

He almost knocked me down before he saw me. 他几乎把我撞倒才看到我。

Before I could get in a word, he measured me. 我还来得及插话，他就给我量好了尺寸。

I’ll water the flowers before it gets dark. 我要趁着天还没黑把花浇好水。

Be a pupil before you become a teacher. 先做学生，后做先生。

Time passed quickly and three months went by before she knew it. 时间过得飞快，她不知不觉就在那里度过了三个月。

I will die before I will betray my country. 我宁可死也不会背叛我的国家。

六、对since从句的理解

1. since从句的谓语动词是终止性动词照字面意思理解。如：

I’ve been feeling down since I lost my job. 自从失去工作后,我的情绪一直处于低潮。

2. since从句谓语动词延续性动词，且为现在完成时时，仍然按字面意思理解。如：

She has never come to see me since I have lived in the city. 自从我住到城里，她就一直不来看我。

3. since从句谓语动词延续性动词，且为一般过去时时，按与字面意思相反的意思理解。如：

I have made great progress since I was ill. 我自病愈以来取得了很大的进步。

4. since前有ever，或从句谓语动词是be且后接表示人成长过程中的某个阶段或年龄的名词、形容词时，仍然按字面意思理解。如：

I have lived here ever since I was a child. 我从还是个孩子时就一直住在这儿。

 

七、对till/until从句的理解

1. 主句为肯定式，主句谓语动词必须为持续性动词，且该动词所表示的动作或状态一直延续到 until / till 从句所表示的时间为止，可译作“（直）到……”。如：

He waited until/till I returned. 他一直等到我回来。

2. 主句为否定式（包括含 no, nobody, nothing, never, hardly, little 等否定词的肯定句），若主句谓语动词是非持续性动词，则该动词所表示的动作在 until / till 从句表示的时间开始发生。一般先译从句“直到……”，后译主句，not 译成“才”，即“直到……才……”。如：

His mother didn’t leave until/till he was asleep. 直到他睡着了，他母亲才离开。

Nobody can leave until/till the meeting is over. 直到散会才能离开。

3. 主句为否定式，若主句谓语动词是持续性动词，则须根据上下文去理解until/till从句的含义，一般译为“直到……才……”或“没有到……”。如：

He didn’t wait until/till I returned. 他没有等到我回来。

She didn’t sleep until/till I returned. 她直到我回来才睡着。

 

 

八．与时间状语从句有关的时态问题

关于这个问题有两点值得注意：

(1) 当主句为将来时态或具有将来意义时，时间状语从句通常要用一般现在时表示将来意义，而不能直接使用将来时态：

Turn off the lights before you leave. 走前关灯。

I will tell him as soon as he arrives. 他一来我就告诉他。

(2) 与since 从句搭配的主句的时态通常是现在完成时态：

He has lived here since 1999. 自1999年以来，他就一直住在这儿。

Where have you been since I last saw you? 自我上次见到你之后你到哪里去了?

【注】在特定的语言环境中有时也可能用过去完成时或一般现在时：

It seems like years since we last met. 我们似乎几年未见面了。

Yesterday he told me that he hadn’t eaten anything since Tuesday. 他昨天告诉我自星期二以来他一直未吃任何东西。