until是日常生活中常用的一个表示时间的词汇,它作介词或连词,意思是“到…时;直到…为止”。 till和until意思相同. Till历史更悠久,但一般为非正式用语,用的相对较少。
They played football until/ till it's dark.
他们踢足球踢到天黑。
I didn't go to bed until/ till I finished reading the book.
我直到读完这本书才睡觉。
I'm not gonna say a word until/ till I get a lawyer.
在见到律师之前我一句话也不会说。
在使用until时,有时候我们会对(主)句中里究竟是肯定句还是否定句产生困惑,究竟是用until还是not ... until? 要搞清楚这个问题,关键是要看(主)句中的谓语动词是短暂性动词还是延续性动词。
在句首的时候,只用until,因为until比till显得郑重其事,Not until 开始的句子,需要倒装,把not until 放在句首,本身具有强调作用,故而还要用比较正式的until。
1,(主)句中的谓语动词是延续性动词
肯定句句型,“到……为止”,表示动作一直持续到所说时间为止。如:
Until the last day of the season, we had been working there for a whole year.
到这个季节的最后一天,我们已经在那里工作了一整年。
They drove on until they reached a small town.
他们开着车直到到达一个小镇。
I'll stay here until the rain stops.
我会呆在这儿直到雨停。
We lived in the countryside until two decades ago.
二十年前我们一直住在乡下。
They kept singing and dancing until midnight.
他们一直唱歌跳舞到午夜。
I have no idea about it until now.
迄今为止,我对此一无所知。
当然,(主)句中的谓语动词是延续性动词,也可以用否定句,但表达的是不同意思。
I surfed the net until mother came back.
我上网冲浪直到妈妈回来。
I did not surf the net until mother came back.
直到妈妈回来我才上网。
2,(主)句中的谓语动词是短暂性动词
否定句句型中,“直到……才”,表示动作从until表示的时间才开始。
Don't/Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
今日事,今日毕。
He didn't realize it was a big mistake until years later.
直到几年后他才意识到这是个大错误。
I won't leave until I finish my work.
我不完成工作就不走。
The train didn't arrive until two hours later.
火车两小时后才到达。
I never wake up until the alarm goes off.
我向来要到闹钟响了才醒来。
do A until B,意思就是:在B发生之前,A这件事情需要一直做;也就是,等到B发生以后,就不需要做A了
而not until的结构只是反过来了:
not until B,do A,意思句式;在B发生以后,做A;在B发生以前,不要做A。其实就是:not do A until B。
注意,否定句中until常常可以和before意思相似,所以可用before互换。
Most children do not start school until/before they are six years old.
大多数孩子六岁才开始上学。
3,not until 状语在句首,(主)句子要用倒装句,如:
Not until the end of the day did they give up searching.
直到一天结束,他们才放弃寻找。
Not until you apologize will I leave this room.
你不道歉,我就不走了。
Not until we got home did the rain stop.
直到我们到家雨才停。
Not until mom had come back did he go sleep.
直到妈妈回来,他才睡。
注意:
有时候,我们还用“It's not until ... that...”,这是强调句,强调的是not until ...状语;(主)句子要恢复陈述句:
普通句:He didn’t go to bed until/till his wife came back.
强调句:It was not until his wife came back that he went to bed.
直到他老婆回来,她才去睡觉。
普通句:The rain didn’t stop until we got home.
强调句:It was Not until we got home that the rain stopped.
直到我们到家雨才停。
普通句:Not until 1998 did he return to his hometown.
强调句:It was not until 1998 that he returned to his hometown.
直到 1998 年他才回到家乡
普通句:Not until Father came back did we begin to have supper last night.
强调句:It was not until Father came back that we began to have supper last night.
昨晚直到父亲回来,我们才开始吃晚饭。