來源:學(xué)大教育 時(shí)間:2016-01-27
重點(diǎn)句法:
It took nearly two hundred yearsbefore I was built as an analytical machine by Charles Babbage.
Before作為連詞的用法
其基本含義是“在……之前”,又可以根據(jù)不同語境靈活翻譯成“才”、“還沒來得及就……”、“趁……”、“就”等。具體用法如下:
1) 用于It+be/take+時(shí)間段+before句型
在這一句型中又可以根據(jù)主從句的時(shí)態(tài)分成兩種情況。
A) 若主句是一般將來時(shí)態(tài),從句是一般現(xiàn)在時(shí)。 若主句是肯定句意思是“要過多長時(shí)間才”; 若主句是否定形式翻譯成“用不了多久就”。
It will be two weeks before everything returns to normal.兩周之后一切才能恢復(fù)正常。
It will be many years before the situation improves.這種狀況或許要過許多年才能得以改善。
It won't be long before we meet again.用不了多久我們就會(huì)再見面的。
B) 這時(shí)若主句是一般過去時(shí)從句也是一般過去時(shí)。若主句是肯定句翻譯成“多長時(shí)間之后才”,若主句是否定形式翻譯成“沒過多久就”。如:
It was some time before I realized the truth.過了很長一段時(shí)間我才了解到真相。
It wasn't long before she became a brave solider.沒過多久她就成了一名勇敢的戰(zhàn)士。
After that it still took seven years before they got married.他們又過了七年才結(jié)婚。
It took nearly two hundred years before I was built as an analytical machine by Charles Babbage. 差不多過了200年后,查爾斯.巴比奇才把我制成了一臺(tái)分析機(jī)。
注意:當(dāng)主句的謂語動(dòng)詞為延續(xù)性動(dòng)詞時(shí),before與until有時(shí)可以互換。
It was an hour before/until the police arrived.
2)與情態(tài)動(dòng)詞can/could連用
這時(shí)候從句雖為肯定形式,根據(jù)漢語表達(dá)習(xí)慣譯成“還沒來得及就”,如:
Before I could get in a word,he had measured me.我還沒來得及插話他就為我量好了尺寸。
Before she could move,she heard a loud noise,which grew to a terrible roar. 她還沒來得及邁步,就聽見一聲巨響,接著就是可怕的隆隆轟鳴。
3)用于肯定句中強(qiáng)調(diào)主句所表達(dá)的時(shí)間,距離長,或花費(fèi)的精力大,譯成“才”
We had sailed four days and four nights before we saw lands. 我們航行了四天四夜才看到陸地。
We waited a long time before the train arrived.我們等了很長時(shí)間火車才到。
4)用于否定句中,強(qiáng)調(diào)主句所表達(dá)的時(shí)間,距離短,或花費(fèi)的精力小,譯成“不到……就”
如:We hadn't run a mile before he felt tired.我們跑了還不到一英里他就累了。
5)主句含有hardly,scarcely等半否定副詞時(shí)可以譯為“剛……就”
這時(shí)候主句應(yīng)用過去完成時(shí)態(tài),從句用過去時(shí),還可以用when替代before如:
We had scarcely reached the school before/when the bell rang.我們剛到學(xué)校鈴聲就響了。
6)用在含有before的主從復(fù)合句中
用在含有before的主從復(fù)合句中,一般在從句中使用一般過去時(shí),主句中使用過去完成時(shí)。例如: Lily had written some letters before she went out shopping. 有時(shí),也可以在從句中用過去完成時(shí),主句中用一般過去時(shí),這樣就可使描述更為生動(dòng)。試比較: We got to the station before the train had left. 火車尚未開動(dòng)之前,我們就到了車站。 We had got to the station before the train left. 火車開出之前,我們就已經(jīng)到了車站。 像after一樣, before本身就能明確地表示時(shí)間的先后關(guān)系,故多數(shù)主從句均使用一般過去時(shí),而無需使用過去完成時(shí)。例如: ,Many people left for home before the film ended.電影尚未放完,許多人就起身回家了。
連接:
by, before, when, until, after 在過去完成時(shí)態(tài)中應(yīng)用
7)有時(shí)還有“寧愿”的意思
I'd shoot myself before I apologized to him.我寧死也不向他道歉。