通过幽默学习时间状语从句

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一、when, while和as < br>1．When既可引导一个持续动作，也可引导一个短暂动作，可用于主句和从句
动作同时发生或 从句动作先于主句动作。当主句是将来时，从句的时态用现在时。
（when在实际中用得最多）
I told my children when Lincoln was your age he walked twelve miles
to school everyday. But my son said, “That’s nothing. When he was
your age, he was president.”
我告诉我的孩子：当林肯你那么大岁数时他每天走 12英里去学校，我儿子说，
“那没什么，当他你那么大岁数时已经当总统了”。
There''''s a side to President Reagan that people don''''t know. When
he was a young man, he read complete works of Shakespeare. Of
course, when Reagan was young, Shakespeare hadn’t written all that
much.
里根总统还有一面人们并不 知道，年轻时他曾读过莎士比亚全集——当然里根年
轻时莎士比亚还没写那么多。
注：讽刺里根读书少，岁数大。
当when引导的时间状语从句为系表结构，而且其主语和主 句的主语一致，其
标语又是一个名词，就可以以as引导的省略句来代替when引导的从句。如：
As a young man, he read complete works of Shakespeare.
他年轻时读过莎士比亚全集。
When the game is finished, the king and the pawn[卒] go into to the
same box.
游戏结束时，国王和士兵进入同一个盒子。
注：人生 就象一场游戏，游戏结束时，亿万富翁也好，平头百姓也好都进入一样
大小的棺材（或骨灰盒）。Fin ish为短暂动作，从句动作先于主句动作。
场景再现：在筹集善款的晚会上，可以这么调侃：
How noisy an audience can be when you ask for quiet ____ and how
quiet it can be when you ask for money.
（多么令人惊奇啊，）当你要求安静时听众乱烘烘的——当你要钱时全场一片寂
静。
2．While引导的动作必须是持续性的，侧重主句动作和从句动作相对比。如：
Plumber（水暖工）: I’m sorry I was late.
Man: While we were waiting for you, I taught my wife how to swim.
水暖工：很抱歉我来晚了。
男人：我们等你的时候，我教我太太学游泳。
3．As引导一个持续动作，多用于主句和从句的动作同时发生。如：
A man ate each night in the same restaurant and at the same table.
One night, as he was leaving, he walked up a wall, across the ceiling,

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down another wall, and out the door.
“That’s odd,” his waiter said. “Usually he says good night.”
一个人每天都在同一家饭馆同一张桌子上吃饭，一天晚上，当他 离开时，他走上
墙，穿过天花板，从另一面墙走下来，从门出去。
服务员说“真奇怪，他通常说晚安”。
注：服务员对那个男人的天马行空习以为常，但对于他不打招呼就走感觉奇怪。
As I look back, there is only one thing I wish I could have saved for my
old age --- the years between twenty and thirty.
我回头看看只有一件东西是我希望为自己的老年保存起来的——20岁到30岁
的岁月。
4．When还可以用作并列连词，其意义为“在那时，在这时”，相当于and at
thisthat time。
Heisenberg is out for a drive when he''''s stopped by a traffic cop. The
cop says, Do
you know how fast you were going?
Heisenberg says, No, but I know where I am.
HEISENBERG驾车外出被交警拦住。警察问，“你知道你开得多快吗”？
HEISENBURG说，“不知道，但我知道我在哪儿”。
Frannie was kneeling down saying his prayers when her four- year-old
brother sneaked（鬼鬼祟祟做事） up behind her and pulled her hair.
“Pardon me, God,” said Frannie, “I’ll be right back after I kick Herbie.”
Frannie正跪着祈祷，她四岁的弟弟从后面偷偷摸摸靠近她，揪他的头发。她说，
“原谅 我，我踢了Herbie后马上回来”。
5．While作为并列连词，意为“而，却”，表示对比。如：
While the chef’s dishes tonight are rather bland(乏味的), his ideas are
fresh and appealing.
今晚厨师的菜相当寡味，但他的思想却清新诱人。
注：我们去吃饭，谁会关心厨师的思想呢？
Sir, I don’t know how to tell this, but your imagination has just taken
flight ____
while your facts are still on standby.（备用）
先生，我不知道怎样告诉这点，但你的想象力已经逃跑，你的事实还在袖手旁观。
注：讽刺某人胡编乱造，说话没有根据。
A lie is half way around the world while the truth is just putting his
boots on.
真理刚穿上靴子，谎言已经在半路了。
注：人们更爱传播八卦新闻。

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We smile at women who are eagerly following the fashion in dress
while we are as eagerly following the fashion in thought.
我们嘲笑女人紧跟服装潮流，而我们却紧跟思想上的流行。
注：农民谈论母猪生小猪，哲学家谈论歌德，女人谈论巴黎时装，有高下之分吗？
6．如果主 句表示的是短暂动作，而从句用延续性动词的进行时表示在一段时间
内正在进行的动作时，when, while与as可以互换使用。如：
WhenWhileAs I was walking down the street, I came across an old
friend of mine.
What animal eats with its tail?
All animals do. No one takes off its tail whilewhenas they are eating.
什么动物用尾巴吃东西？（故意理解成：什么动物带着尾巴吃东西？）
所有动物，没有动物吃东西时把尾巴拿下来。
注：With: 用…做；带着
二、as soon as, immediately, directly, instantly, the moment, the
minute, the instant, no sooner…than…, hardlyscarcely….when….和
once
这些从属连接词引导的从句都表 示从句的动作一发生，主句的动作随即就发生，
常译为“一…就…”。从句中一般时态代替将来时态。如 ：

How beautifully everything is arranged by Nature; as soon as a child
enters the
world, it finds a mother ready to take care of it.
大自然安排的每件事情都多么奇妙啊；孩子一来到这个世上，就发现有个母亲已
经准备 好了照料它。
解释：学习这种从不同的角度看问题的幽默思维。
As soon as Eve ate the apple of wisdom[智慧], she reached for the
fig(无花果) leaf;
when a woman begins to think, her first thought is of a new dress.
夏娃吃完智慧苹果后马上去找无花果的叶子；当女人开始思想时她首先想到的是
新衣服。
A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is
shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain.
银行家在阳光照耀时借给你伞，开始下雨时又想要回来的人。
解释：银行是用钱生钱，不是慈 善机构。如果你是个很好的企业或者人很有资信，
他愿意把钱借给你，如果感觉到你快破产了，肯定会想 法设法把钱要回来。
Once a woman has given you her heart --- you can never get rid of the
rest of her body.
一旦女人把心给了你——你就再也摆脱不了她身体的其余部分了。

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注：抓住了心爱的女人的心是幸福的，抓住了你不喜欢的女人的心，算惹上麻烦
了。
No sooner…than…, hardlyscarcely….when…
I had hardly got home when it began to rain.
Hardly had I got home when it began to rain.
No sooner had we arrived at the station that the train left.
三、till, until, 和not….until
1．肯定句：主句谓语动词必须是延续性动词，主句、从句都是肯定式，意为“某
动作一直延续到某时 间点为止”。如：
Son: Remember, Dad, Thomas Edison got bad grades in school, too.
Father: Stay in your room until you invented the light bulb.
儿子：记住，爸爸，爱迪生上学时成绩也很差。
父亲：呆在你房间里，直到发明出灯泡。
Whenever I feel like exercise, I lie down until the feeling passes.
每当我想锻炼时，我就躺下直到这种感觉消失。
注：这个人是真不想锻炼。
I was an atheist[无神论者] until I realized I was GOD.
在我认识到我是上帝以前我是一个无神论者。
注：这种话应该是象尼采一类的狂人说的。 < br>2．否定句：主句谓语动词必须是非延续性动词，从句为肯定式，意为“某动作直
到某时间才开始 ”。如：
I am convinced that both my long age and exceptional health are to be
explained by
an obvious facts: I never touched a cigarette, a drink, or a girl until I
was almost ten years old.
我深深相信我的长寿和我格外健康可以由一个显而易见的事实来解释：我从来没
有接触过一根烟、一口酒、一个女孩子，在我差不多10岁以前。
（我直到差不多10岁才接触烟、酒、女孩子。）
Horse owner: This horse is eight-years- old and he’s never raced
before.
Jockey: How come?
Horse Owner: Well, we couldn’t catch him until he was seven.
马主：这匹马8岁了，他以前从来没有参加过比赛。
职业骑师：怎么会呢？
马主：直到他7岁我们才抓住它。
3．Till不可以置于句首，而until可以。
Until the horse was seven we couldn’t catch him.

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4．Not…until句型中的强调和倒装。
It was not until he was seven that we could catch him .（强调句型）
Not until he was seven could we catch him.（not until置于句首，主句
要倒装）
四、before和since
1．若表达“ 还未…就….；不到…就….；才….；趁…；还没来得及”时，需用连词
before。（都可以理解 成是“在…..之前”）
I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out
what I''''m doing.
每天一大早儿趁我的大脑还不知道我在做什么之前我必须锻炼。
注：早上起床后晕晕忽忽就开始锻炼，等大脑清醒后，就不想锻炼了。
If people waited to know one another before they married, the world
wouldn’t be so over-populated.
如果人们都要等相互了解对方后才结婚，世界人口就不会这么过剩了。
2．Before从句中谓语不用否定式。（同样也可理解成“在…..之前”）
Texan: Back home on my ranch（大农场） I can get in my car at dawn,
drive all day,
and it’ll be dark before I reach the end of my property.（财产）
Vermonter: I had a car like that once.
Tex an：在我老家里的大农场里我一大早上车，开一整天，还没到达另一边前天
就会黑下来。
Vermonter：我也曾经有一辆那样的汽车。
注：本来想吹自己农场大，对方却说自己的车破。
3．It will be + 段时间 + before…..多久之后才…..（在…..之前）
It will be years -- not in my time -- before a woman will become Prime
Minister. -- Margaret Thatcher, 1974.
还要过很多年女人才能当上首相，但我是看不到了——撒其尔＿1974
注：这是英国首相撒其尔年轻时的言论，后来她不仅看到了，而且是自己成了英
国女首相。 < br>4．Since从句的谓语动词一般是非延续性动词，主句的谓语动词是延续性的或
者是反复发生 过的。Since从句的时态若是一般过去式，相应地，主句中的时态
是现在完成时或现在完成进行式。 如：
Angry librarian: Please be quite. The people near you can’t read.
Little boy: Why, they ought to be ashamed of themselves. I’ve been
able to read since I was six.
生气的图书管理员：请安静。挨着你的人看不了书了。
小男孩：他们真应该感到害羞，我六岁时就能读了。

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A young man hadn’t handed in one homework assignment since they
started the class.
“Won’t you please do tonight’s assignment?”
“What? And ruin a perfect record?”
从开课以来，有个年轻人从没交过作业。
“你不做今晚的作业吗”？
“什么？要毁掉一个完美的记录吗”？
5．在“it is + 段时间 + since从句”句型中，时间的计算一律从since从句的
动作完成或状态结束时算起。
It is three years since the war broke out.
It is three years since she was in our class.
It is three years since she lived here.
It is three years since I smoked a cigar (=since I stopped smoking a
cigar)
It is three years since I began to smoke.
五、every time, each time, next time, the first time, any time, all the
time等名词短语用来引导时间状语从句，表示“每当…..，每次…..；下次……”
等。
Employer to applicant: In this job we need someone who is
responsible.
Applicant: I''''m the one you want. On my last job, every time
anything went wrong,
they said I was responsible.
雇主对应聘者说：“我们需要一个负责任的人”。
应聘者：“我就是你们要找的人，我上一个工作每次出了差错，他们都说我负责”。
Teacher: Bob, can you explain inflation?
Bob: Sure. Every time my dad pays the bills, he blows up. That’s
inflation[通货膨胀].
老师：Bob，你能解释一下通货膨胀吗？
Bob：当然。我爸爸每次付帐单时，他就发脾气（爆炸），那就是通货膨胀。
注：blow up：爆炸；发脾气。
场景再现：演讲时调节气氛：
I don’t want to brag, but the last time I made the speech it brought the
audience to its
feet. And they didn’t sit down again until they reached their cars.
我不想吹牛，但上次我演讲时所有的观众都站起来（欢呼），他们再也没有坐 下，
直到到达他们的汽车。
注：观众站起来都走了

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