Ask & Learn聞問(wèn)切英語(yǔ)口語(yǔ):Until
讀者 Edmund 來(lái)電郵指出,until 的后面通常是表達(dá)時(shí)間的用語(yǔ),例如:
I could not swim until last year.
I will not come back to Hong Kong until September.
Edmund 想問(wèn),這些句子的時(shí)限,是否包括 until 后面所指定的時(shí)間?
Until 后面的時(shí)間用語(yǔ),是標(biāo)明動(dòng)作的時(shí)間的上限。
"I could not swim until last year" 翻譯成中文就是「直至去年,我都不會(huì)游泳」。也就是說(shuō),自去年開始,我會(huì)游泳了。
還要注意一點(diǎn):until 的句型,通常是以反面的方式說(shuō)出來(lái)。如果想表達(dá)九月才回香港,不可說(shuō)成 "I will come back to Hong Kong until September",而是 "I will not come back to Hong Kong until September" 或 "not until September will I come back to Hong Kong",但后者涉及倒裝句法,如果不是要加強(qiáng)語(yǔ)氣,平常少用為妙。
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