取录自《英语自学参考系列·句法手册》 第五章  第三节 时间状语从句

英语自学参考系列 句法手册   第五章   英语复合句及并列句

编者  川竹 樑翁

第三节  英语时间状语从句㈠

日常生活中，时间、地点往往习惯相提并论，所以我们说了地点状语从句，接着就该讲讲时间状语从句了。英语中的时间状语从句，因其引导词较多，故尔也就相应较为复杂。

 

一、单词类时间从句引导词及连词分类

1. 时间状语从句引导词分类

用表时间的从属连词连接一个子句作为主从复合句的状语，这样用来表示时间的子句就是时间状语从句(adverbial clause of time)。英语中常用来引导时间状语从句的连接词很多，我们可以从其组成结构和所表意义两个方面对其进行分类。

 

⑴时间连词结构分类——引导时间状语从句的五类引导词

①基本单词类——时间从属连词为一个个的单词，包括before(在…之前)、after(在…以后)、once(一旦…就)、as(当…时)when(在…时)、whenever(无论何时)、while(与…同时)、since(自从…以来)、till(直到…时)、until(直到…才)等，这类单个连词是最为常见的时间状语从句引导词。

例：Make sure that all the lights are off before you go to bed. 睡觉前一定要关灯。

You’ll feel better after you take the pills. 吃完药丸后你会感到好一些。

It’s easy, once you’ve got the knack. 你一旦掌握这个技能就容易了。

I would fain do as you ask. 听候你的吩咐。【当您吩咐时我会欣然从命。】

She was made her father’s attorney when he became ill. 她在父亲生病时代理父亲的事务。

Whenever there is danger, he always stands in the breach. 每逢遇到危险, 他总是首当其冲.

The tortoise wins the race while the hare is sleeping. 兔子正睡觉时，乌龟赢得了比赛。

She’s a changed woman since she got that job. 她自从得到了那份工作，变得判若两人。

The train went slower and slower until it stopped altogether. 火车愈来愈慢，最后完全停了。

Don’t promise him anything till we’ve had time to think about it. 在我们有时间考虑之前别答应他什么。

 

②the+名词类——几个带定冠词的瞬时时间名词充当状语从句引导词，包括the instant(倾刻)、the minute(片刻)、the moment(瞬间)等，均意表“一…就…”。

例：I loved you the instant (that) I saw you. 我一见到你就爱上你了。

I’ll tell him the minute ( that ) he gets there. 他一到那里,我就告诉他.

Tell me the moment (that) you get the results. 你一拿到结果就要给我打电话。

The moment I heard the news, I hastened to the spot. 我一听到消息，马上赶到了出事地点。

 

③ -ly副词类——有几个由“形容词+ly”构成的副词也能充当状语从句引导词，如immediately、instantly、directly等，也都意表“一…就…”。不过这类词，尤其是immediately，还是以用作副词的时候居多。

例：I came immediately you called. 你一打电话我就来了。

Instantly he saw me, he held out his hands. 他一见到我，就伸出双手。

Instantly I go there I telephoned him. 我一到那儿便立即给他打电话了。

I recognized her instantly I saw her. 我一看见她就把她认出来了.

Directly I walked in the door, I smelt smoke. 我一进门就闻到烟味。

Directly I received his letter I went to see him. 我一收到他的信就去看他了。

He married directly he left the university. 他一离开大学就结婚了。

We came directly we got your telephone. 我们一接到你的电话就赶来了。

 

④time短语类——主要是几个含time的短语，如every time(每次)、(the) next time(下次)、each time(每次)、any time(随时)、the first time(第一次)、the last time(上一次)等，它们都是含time的短语连词。

例：My roof leaks every time it rains. 每次下雨，我的房顶就漏水。

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

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

Certainly. You can withdraw money any time you like. 那当然.你什么时候来取款都行.

The camera just came apart the first time I used it. 我第一次使用这台照相机时,它就裂开了.

The last time we talked, he said he needed another two days. 上次我们谈话时他说他还需要两天。

 

⑤关联连词类——包括hardly…when、scarecely…before、no sooner…than等，均意为“一／刚…就…”；这一类都属于由隔开之连词呼应配合的从属(性)关联连词。

例：I recognized him as soon as he came in the room. 他一进屋我就认出了他。

I had no sooner closed the door than somebody knocked. 我刚把门关上就有人敲门。

Hardly were the words uttered when he began to regret them. 话刚说出口他就开始后悔了。

特别提示：时间状语从句中不可用将来时态

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

例：I will write to her when I have time. 我有空会给她写信。

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

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

Please tell her I’ll come back after I do／have done some shopping. 请告诉她我买些东西就回来。

⑵时间连词意义分类（略）

 

2. 时间连词when、while与as

⑴时间连词when(ever)的用法   

我们知道，英语中的when有多种用法，它可以用作疑问副词引导特殊疑问句，也可以用作引导名词性从句的从属连词，还可以作为关系副词引导定语从句，这里只专门讲它作为时间连词引导状语从句的用法。

①when引导时间状语从句时意表“当…的时候”，从句用于表示主句动作发生的特定时间；这时往往含带有规律性的“每当…”之意。

例：It’s cold when it snows. 当天下雪时就很冷。【when表规律性“每当…”】

He smiles when you praise him. (每当) 你夸奖他时，他总是笑笑。

He gets aggressive when he’s drunk.  (每当) 他喝醉了就喜欢寻衅滋事。

She gets very bad-tempered when she’s tired. 她累着的时候就爱发脾气。

The microwave will bleep when your meal is ready. 烹调结束时，微波炉会发出哔哔的声音。

When Susan goes to town, she will visit her grandma. 苏珊每次进城，总要去看望她的奶奶。

 

②when既可以指某一时间点，也可指一段时间。when从句谓语既可用延续性动词，又可用非延续性瞬时动词；

例：Were you writing when the teacher came in? 老师进来的时候，你在写信吗？ 【表进入的时间点】

I was just reading a book when she came into my room. 她走进我房间时，我正在看书。
I was just reading a book when she came into my room. 她走进我房间时，我正在看书。

He jumped up when the phone rang. 电话铃响时他(吓得) 跳了起来。【电话铃响需时间段】

Mozart started writing music when he was four years old. (当)莫扎特4岁的时候，就开始写音乐作品。

When you think you know nothing, then you begin to know something.

当你以为自己一无所知的时候，你就是在开始知道一些事物了。

 

③当when引导时间状语从句时，它可表示从句的动作与主句动作同时进行，也可表示两者一前一后发生。这时when可译为“当…时”或“在…之前”或“在…之后”，究竟表示何种意义主要通过主从句谓语的不同时态来区别。

例：When the wind blows, all the doors rattle. 只要风一吹，这门就吱嘎作响。【主从句动作同时进行】

When I had done the work, I took a rest．我做完工作后就休息了一下。【从句动作先于主句动作】

When she had finished she waited as though for a reply. 她讲完之后等了等，仿佛是在等候回答似的。

When he arrives he’ll tell us all about the match. 等他到了，他会好好给我们讲讲那场比赛的情况。

When I came home my wife was cooking dinner. 当我回到家中时，妻子正在做晚饭。【主句动作进行中从句动作发生】

When we got to Mary’s home, she was watching TV.  当我们到达玛丽的家时，她正在看电视。

The film had already began when I got to the cinema．当我到达电影院时，电影已经开始了。【主句动作先于从句动作】

 

④由when引导时间状语从句时，一般来说主句和从句都要相应使用现在时态或过去时态；但若主句是将来时态，when从句便不可随用将来时，而得用相应的一般时态表将来。

例：I’ll call you when I get there. 我到了那里就会给你打电话。【主句将来时而从句现在时】

I will tell him everything when he comes back. 当他回来的时候我会把一切都告诉他。

When he was a child he was always trying out new ideas. 他小时候就常常试验一些新的设想。【主从句为相应过去时态】

When I lived in the countryside, I used to carry some water for him.当我住在农村时，我常常为他担水。

 

⑤when有时也用作时间并列连词，意“就在那时(突然)”。.

例：We were about to leave when he came in. 我们正要离开，就在那时他进来了。

They were about to start when it began to rain. 他们正要出发，这时天开始下雨了。

Jasmine was holidaying with her family in a widelife park when she was bitten on the 1eg by a lion．

杰斯明与家人一起在野生公园度假时，(突然)被一头狮子意外咬伤。     

I had nearly reached the town, when the young man suddenly said very slowly: “Do—you—speak—English?”

当我(开车)快到城里时，忽然这个年轻人慢慢地问我：“你讲英语吗?”

 

⑥whenever是when与ever的复合词，它常被用作疑问副词，也可用作从属连词引导时间状语从句或让步状语从句。它引导时间状语从句时，意“每当／无论何时／隨時”，比when的语气要强。

例：Drink whenever you feel thirsty. 口渴就要喝水。

The roof leaks whenever it rains. 每逢下雨屋顶就漏雨。

The dog’s tail always curls up whenever it’s excited. 狗一兴奋就会卷起尾巴。

Exactly. I admire it whenever I look at it. 确实很棒。每次我看到它都会欣赏它。

The child smiles whenever the puppy appears. 每当那小狗一露面这孩子便面带笑容。

You can use my car whenever you want. 你可以在任何一个你需要的时候用我的车。

You can come over whenever you want. 你什么时候想来都可以来。

Please come whenever it is convenient to you. 方便的时候，请随时来。

She’s welcome to stay here whenever she likes. 欢迎她隨时到这里來住。

 

⑵时间连词while的用法

①while引导时间状语从句也表示“当…时”，还表示“和…同时”；但while只能表示某一段时间，不能表示某一点时间。

例：We listened while the teacher read. 老师朗读时我们听着。【主句谓语动词非延续】

I met her while I was at school. 当我在学校的时候我遇见了她。

While she was listening to the radio, she fell asleep. 她听着收音机睡着了。

He visited a lot of places while he was traveling. 他在旅途中参观了许多地方。

While Jim was mending his bike, Lin Tao came to see him. 正当吉姆修自行车时，林涛来看他。

Mary watched TV while she ate her supper. 玛丽边吃饭边看电视。【主从句谓语动词皆延续】

Study while you study; play while you play. 该学习的时候就学习，该玩的时候就玩。

He was fiddling with his keys while he talked to me. 他和我谈话时不停地摆弄着钥匙。

You can’t do your homework while you’re watching TV. 你不能一边看电视一边做家庭作业。

While my wife was reading the newspaper, I was watching TV. 我妻子看报的时候，我在看电视。

 

②在while引导时间状语从句时，如果主从句谓语都是延续性动词，它强调主句动作与从句动作同时持续地进行或状态同时存在；如果从句谓语是延续性动词，而主句谓语是非延续性动词，那么通常是主句动作发生在从句动作的进行过程中，且强调主句动作或状态延续到从句所指的整个时间。

例：Strike while the iron is hot. 趁热打铁。【主句动作延续到从句所指整个时间】

They arrived while I was sunbathing. 当我正在进行日光浴时，他们来了。

While the discussion was still going on, Mr. Zhang came in. 当讨论还在进行的时候，张先生进来了。

Don’t talk while you’re eating. 吃饭时不要说话。【主从句谓语皆延续】

I kept silent while he was writing. 在他写的时候，我默不作声。【主从句动作同时延续】

I always listen to the radio while I’m driving. 我总是一边开车一边听收音机。
Will you watch my clothes while I have a swim? 我游泳时，请你照看一下我的衣服好吗？

While the alien was buying a souvenir, the girl called the police. 外星人买纪念品时，那女孩给警察打了电话。

He didn’t ask me in; he kept me standing at the door while he read the message.

他没有让我进去，他只顾看那张条子，让我站在门口等着。

 

⑶时间连词as的用法

当as引导时间状语从句时，该从句的谓语通常只能是那些表示动作意义的动词，而不能是如be (是／在)、have (有)、seem (似乎)、agree (同意)、know (知道)、like (喜欢)、love (热爱)、want (想要)、belong (属于)等表示状态或静态意义的动词。

①时间连词as引导状语从句，表示“当…时候／在…期间”意义时，就含有“某事一发生，另一事立即发生”的意味，而不强调主句动作发生的特定时间。

例：As the sun rose the frog dispersed. 当太阳升起来的时候，雾就消散。【太阳先升起接着雾散开】

As we were going out, it began to snow. 当我们出门时，开始下雪了。【as强调主从句两动作紧接着先后发生】

They strolled into the garden as the music ceased. 音乐声一停，他们就走进了花园。

You can feel the air moving as your hand pushes through it.

当你的手在空气中挥动的时候，你就能感觉到空气在流动。

 

②as引导的时间状语从句，也表示“在某事发生的过程中另一事发生”——从句多用进行时态。

例：I saw him as he was getting off the bus. 正当他下公共汽车时, 我看见了他。

Just as he was speaking there was a loud explosion. 正当他在说话的时候，一声巨响。

I slipped on the ice as I ran home. 我跑回家时在冰上滑了一跤。【瞬间动作在延续性动作中发生】

I heard the murmur of their voices as I crossed the hall. 我走过大厅的时候听到他们在嘀咕什么。【主从句皆一般时态】

 

③as引出时间状语从句时，也有“在…的同时／一边…一边…【两动作同时进行】”之含意，表示主、从句两个动作同时发生或同时进行【包括一个主语同时进行两个动作】。

例：He jumps as he goes along. 他边走边跳。【主从句皆延续性的动作】

She smiled as he passed. 她路过的时候带着微笑。

He smiled as he stood up. 他一边站起来一边笑着。

They always sing as they walk. 他们总是边走边唱。

He swung his arms as he walked. 他走路时摆动着手臂。
Our headmaster laughed as she spoke.  我们的校长边谈边笑。

As the wind rose. the noise increased.  刮风的时候噪声增大了。

Helen heard the story as she washed. 海伦一边洗衣服一边听故事。

He saw that she was smiling as she read. 他看到她一边看着书一边笑。

As she sang, the tears ran down her cheeks. 她一边唱歌，眼泪一边从脸颊淌下。

The boy was singing a popular song as he was bicycling. 这男孩边骑车边唱歌。

 

④as引导时间状语从句时，还有“随着(时间推移)”之意，侧重于一种动作随着另一种动作的变化而变化。

例：As it grew darker, it became colder. 天色越晚，天气越冷。【as表两个相随发展变化的情况】

As the day went on, the weather got worse. 日子一天天过去，天气变得更糟。

Things are getting better and better as time goes on. 随着时间的推移，情况越来越好。

We get wiser as we get older. 我们随着年龄的增长而变得聪明起来。【随着时间的变化而变化】

As she grew older, she became less active. 当她长大一点的时候，就变得不那么活泼了。【在成长中变化】

The room grew colder as the fire burnt down. 随着炉火逐渐减弱，房间越来越冷。

As time goes by my memory seems to get worse. 随着时间的流逝，我的记忆力似乎越来越差。

特别提示：若不是引导从句而是引出一个短语表“随着”，则用with，不用as。

例：With winter coming on, it’s time to buy warm clothes.  随着冬天到来，该买暖和衣裳了。

The shadows lengthened with the approach of sunset.  随着太阳下落，影子也逐渐伸长。

（未完待续）