馬俊美
摘要:Before一詞的本意為“在……之前”,但在平時(shí)的練習(xí)題或高考題中往往出現(xiàn)由此意而引申出的一些其他意思。現(xiàn)筆者對(duì)這些用法作一小結(jié),小饗讀者。
關(guān)鍵詞:英語(yǔ)教學(xué);before的用法;教師;學(xué)生
中圖分類(lèi)號(hào):G632.0 文獻(xiàn)標(biāo)識(shí)碼:A 文章編號(hào):1992-7711(2017)08-0109
一、It be some time +before...
此句型關(guān)鍵有四種含義,分別闡述如下:
1. 該句中主句為將來(lái)時(shí)態(tài),before從句為一般現(xiàn)在時(shí)態(tài);主句為一般過(guò)去時(shí),從句通常也為過(guò)去的時(shí)態(tài)。
2. 主句肯定結(jié)構(gòu)時(shí),含義為過(guò)多久從句中的動(dòng)作才發(fā)生;主句否定結(jié)構(gòu)時(shí),含義為不久(很快)從句中的動(dòng)作就發(fā)生了。例如:
It will be some months before we graduate from school.(過(guò)幾個(gè)月,我們就畢業(yè)了。)
Shall we see him again? (我們還能見(jiàn)到他嗎?)
I think so. It wont be long before he comes back to the hometown.(我想會(huì)的,過(guò)不了多久他又返回家鄉(xiāng)。)
該句型中的時(shí)間長(zhǎng)為long, a long time, years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes等時(shí)間段。此句型容易與強(qiáng)調(diào)句型混淆,試比較:
It was two years before he came back from abroad.(過(guò)了兩年他才從國(guó)外回來(lái)。)
It was two years later before he came back from abroad.(兩年之后他才從國(guó)外回來(lái)。)
第一句為狀語(yǔ)從句,it 表示時(shí)間;第二句為強(qiáng)調(diào)句型,強(qiáng)調(diào)的是時(shí)間狀語(yǔ)two years later。
3. 該句型的引申為“還沒(méi)來(lái)得及……就……”。請(qǐng)看例句
Someone called me up in the middle of the night, but they hung up before I could answer the phone.(半夜里有人打電話,但是我還沒(méi)來(lái)得及回答他就掛了。)
4. 該句型還有一個(gè)引申含義為“……之后才……”,多與持續(xù)性時(shí)間、動(dòng)作連用。例如:
Several weeks had gone by before I realized the painting was missing.(幾周之后,我才意識(shí)到那幅畫(huà)丟了。)
二、“not...before”句型有時(shí)可換成“hardly...when...”或“scarcely...when”句型
例如:
They had not talked for half an hour before she entered. =They had hardly/scarcely talked for half an hour when she entered.
三、“not...before”句型同“not...until”句型意思相同,表示“直到……才,在……以前不……”(即在否定句中,until 和 till 可以和非延續(xù)性動(dòng)詞連用,這時(shí) until 和 before 近義)
比較例句:
She stood there till/until he had passed out of sight.(不用before)他一直站在那兒,直到他消失。
The moon will not come out until/before the clouds disappear.云散了月亮才會(huì)出來(lái)。
One doesnt know the value of health before/until he loses it.人們失去了健康后才知道健康的珍貴。
四、Before, after與behind
before表時(shí)間、順序或排列時(shí)與after相對(duì);表位置時(shí)與behind相對(duì)。例如:
I saw the headmaster the day before yesterday.我前天見(jiàn)到了校長(zhǎng)(時(shí)間)。
Autumn comes before winter.秋去冬來(lái)(順序)。
A comes before B in the alphabet.在字母表里A排在B之前(排列)。
五、before long與long before
before long是“很快,不久(以后)”的意思,等于soon,可以用于各種時(shí)態(tài),例如:
Before long he got married.不久他就結(jié)婚了。
而long before是“很久以前”的意思,等于long long ago,一般用在過(guò)去時(shí)或過(guò)去完成時(shí)的句子里。例如:
I saw the film long before.我很久以前就看過(guò)這部電影。
另外,before在不同的語(yǔ)境中會(huì)產(chǎn)生不同的含義,學(xué)生、教師在學(xué)習(xí)、教學(xué)中要認(rèn)真研究,加以甄別。例如:
Linda has grown into a beautiful girl before she knows it.不知不覺(jué)Linda已長(zhǎng)成一個(gè)亭亭玉立的少女。
Do it before you forget.趁早動(dòng)手,免得忘記。
Be a pupil before you become a teacher.先做學(xué)生再做老師。
Lucy desired no one for her husband before Charles Darnay.Lucy非Charles Darnay不嫁。
Ill shoot myself before I apologize to him.我寧死也不向他道歉。
The ship sailed before the wind.輪船順風(fēng)而行。
綜上所述,before一詞用法靈活,又是高考的高頻詞匯,教師在平時(shí)的教學(xué)中,一定要防止單純地傳授、講解語(yǔ)言知識(shí)的弊端,更要注重傳授學(xué)習(xí)方法,盡量給學(xué)生提供和創(chuàng)造運(yùn)用語(yǔ)言的機(jī)會(huì)。