until与till的用法归纳

时间:2022-03-31 13:13:24

until与till的用法归纳

崔荣斌

until和till两者都可作介词、连词,一般情况下可以互换使用。用于肯定句时,主句的动词只用延续性的,它所表示的动作一直延续到till或until表示的时间为止,意为“直到……为止”;用于否定句时,主句的动词一般是非延续性的,也可以是延续性的,它所表示的动作直到till或until所表示的时间才发生,意为“直到……(才)”。如:

She watched TV until / till her mother came back.

她看电视直到她母亲回来。(看电视的动作延续到母亲回来才结束)

She didn”t watch TV until / till her mother came back.

直到她母亲回来她才(开始)看电视。(看电视的动作直到她母亲回来才发生)

为了同学们更为系统地掌握它们的用法,现将一些相关知识点作具体的介绍:

1. until和till可以作介词或连词。作介词用时,后面接名词或副词;作连词用时,常用来引导一个时间状语从句。当它们用于肯定句中,主句动词常为延续性动词,表示这个动作一直延续到till / until所表示的时间为止。当它们引导时间状语从句时往往要用一般现在时代替一般将来时。如:

They worked until / till six o”clock.

他们一直工作到六点钟。

He will wait for you until / till your mother comes.

他将等你到你母亲来。

2. not until / till意为“直到……才”,主句常用终止性动词(即非延续性),表示until /till所表示的时间一到,该动作就发生。如:

He didn”t go to bed until / till eleven last night.

昨天夜里他直到十一点才上床睡觉。

She didn”t know me until / till last week.

她直到上一周才认识我。

Einstein was not able to return to his homeland until the war was over.

直到战争结束后爱因斯坦才得以回国。

注意:not until放在句首时要用倒装语序,如上面第三个例句可以改为放在句首的倒装句:Not until the war was over was Einstein able to return to his homeland.

3. 如果要放在句首,只能用until而不能用till,如:

误:Till I finished my homework, mother didn”t let me out.

正:Until I finished my homework, mother didn”t let me out.

直到我做完家庭作业妈妈才准我出去。

4. 强调结构中也常常出现not until结构,常见句型为:It is / was not until…that。如下面这个句子:

She didn”t find me until I called her from behind.

直到我从后面叫她之后,她才发现了我。

改为强调结构:It was not until I called her from behind that she found me.

注:但在强调句型中,not until置于句首构成倒装句以及until放在句首时,均不能用till替换until。例如:

It was not until 1920 that regular radio broadcast began.

直到1920年才开始有定期的无线电广播。

Not until 12 o”clock last night did Tom come back.(倒装句)

昨晚直到十二点汤姆才回来。

Until I was 20 I had never been away from my hometown.

我二十岁以前,从未离开过家乡。