342 时间从句

 

A 时间从句由下列表示时间的连词来引导:

after                      immediately                tilluntil

as                          nosoonerthan          when

as soon as              since                         whenever

before                    the sooner                  while

hardlywhen

时间从句也可由the minutethe moment来引导。

whenaswhile的例句,参见第331节至第333节。

before的例句,参见第195B

B 请留意,时间从句中不用将来时态或条件时态。

1 如将下列将来时态放入时间从句中,须将它变为一般时态。

一般将来时:

Youll be back soonIll stay till then

你会很快回来,我一直等到那时。相当于:

Ill stay till you get back

我一直等到你回来。

be going to形式:

The parachutist is going to jumpSoon after he jumps his parachute will open

跳伞运动员要往下跳。他刚跳之后不久,降落伞就会打开。

现在进行时用做一般将来时和将来进行时:

Hes arrivingHell be arriving at six

他将在6点到。

但是:

When he arrives hell tell us all about the match

等他到了,他会好好给我们讲讲那场比赛。

Before he arrives Ill give the children their tea

在他来到之前,我会给孩子们吃茶点的。

如进行时态表示某一行动在继续,则其完全可以用在表示时间的从句中:

Peter and John will be playingare playingare going to play tennis tonightWhile they are playingduring this timewell go to the beach

今晚彼得和约翰要去打网球。他们打球时,我们将去海滨。

2 在时间从句中,将来完成时变为现在完成时,将来完成进行时变为现在完成进行时:

Ill have finished in the bathroom in a few minutes

我一会儿就用完浴室了。

The momentAs soon as I have finished Ill give you a call

我一完事儿,就给你打电话。

3 在时间从句中,条件时态变为过去时态:

We knew that he would arrivewould be arriving about six

我们知道他将在六点钟左右到。

We knew that till he arrived nothing would be done

我们知道在他到来之前,什么都干不了。

但是,如when引导的是一个名词从句,后面可跟将来时态或条件时态:

He said,‘When will the train get in?’

他说:“火车什么时候进站?”相当于:

He asked when the train would get in

他问火车什么时候进站。

C since从句(参见第187与第188节)

since从句后面常跟完成时态(另参见第188节):

Theyve moved house twice since they got married./Since they gotmarriedtheyve moved house twice

他们结婚后已搬了两次家。

He said hed lived in a tent since his house burnt down

他说自从他的房屋被烧毁后,他就一直住在帐篷里。

Its ages since I sailedhave sailed a boat

我未驾驶帆船已有好多年了。

I havent sailed a boat since I left college

自从我大学毕业后就没再驾驶帆船了。

D after从句

after从句之后常跟完成时态:

AfterWhen he had rung off I remembered

等他把电话挂断了之后,我才想起……

AfterWhen youve finished with ithang it up

你用完了之后,请把它挂起来。

E hardlyscarcely whenno sooner than(另参见第45节):

The performance had hardly begun when the lights went out

Hardly had the performance begun when the lights went out

演出刚开始就停电了。

这里可以用scarcely代替hardly,但不常见。

He had no sooner drunk the coffee than he began to feel drowsy

No sooner had he drunk the coffee than he began to feel drowsy

他喝了咖啡没多一会儿,就犯困了。

He no sooner earns any money than he spends it

Immediately he earns any money he spends it

他钱一挣到手,就花光了。

注意the soonerthe sooner的用法:

The sooner we startthe sooner well be there

我们动身得越早,到那儿就越早。