1.
used to
: if someone or something
used to do something, they did it for a period of time in the past, or they did
it regularly in the past, but they do not do it now
曾经做某事
/
有过某事,现在不做
/
没有了
例:
"Do you smoke?" "No, but I
used to."
(
-
你平时抽不抽烟?
-
以前抽,现在不抽了。)
used to do something
We used to live in Glasgow when I was
young.
(我小时候,我们曾住在格拉斯哥。)
there used to be
Thirty years ago, there used to be a market
in the town.
(三十年前,镇上有个市场。)
never used to
It never used to rain as much as this.
(从没下过这么大的雨。)
didn't use to do something
(备注:
"didn't use to do
something"
常用于口语中。)
I was surprised to see her driving—she
didn't use to.
(看见她开车我很惊讶,她以前从没开过车。)
used not to do something
(备注:
"used not to do
something"
常用于正式的场合。)
He used not to be so critical of other
people's behavior.
(他以前没这么爱指摘别人。)
2.
at one time
: during a period of
time in the past but not now - use this when it is not important to say exactly
when this period was
从前的某一段时间,用于无需确切强调具体时间时
例:
It is a big city now, but at one time the
population was only 50,000.
(这个城市现在人口很多是个大城市了,但是过去,这里的人口一度只有五万。)
3.
(back) then/at that time
: during
a particular period of time in the past - use this when you are comparing that
period with the present
那时候(用于今昔对比时)
例:
I was a student in the 1950s, and things
were very different then.
(二十世纪
50
年代那会儿我还是个学生,那时世道跟现在完全不同。)
At that time most married women stayed at
home.
(那时候,大部分已婚妇女都在家不出去工作。)
4.
in the past
: use this to talk
about a situation that existed before the present time but does not exist now
某种情况过去存在,现在不存在了
例:
In the past, most children didn't go to
school at all.
(过去,大部分孩子根本没得上学。)
Women were not allowed to vote in the past.
(过去,妇女没有选举权。)
5.
in those days/in the old days
:
use this to talk about a long time ago in your life, or in your parents' or
grandparents' lives, when things were different
过去的年代(距自己的生活很遥远的年代,比如祖父母年青时代,世道与现在差别很大)
例:
My great grandfather earned £5 a week,
which was a lot of money in those days.
(那时候我曾祖父每周赚
5
英镑,这在那个年代已经算是大数目了。)
In the old days there was no bridge over
the river, and we crossed it by boat.
(过去,河上没有桥,我们坐船过河。)
in the good old days
(=at a time when you think that things were better than now)
(表达自己觉得过去比现在好的感慨)
In the good old days people showed more
respect to the older generation.
(过去,人们比现在敬老。)
6.
in the olden days
: at a time
before you were born, especially hundreds of years ago
在说话人出生之前的年代,通常指几百年前
例:
The children all wanted to know what life
was like in the olden days.
(孩子们都想知道古代人怎么生活。)
7.
formerly
:
in the past,
before the present situation existed
过去(正式用语)
备注:
"formerly"
常用于书面语中。
例:
The local school was formerly a hospital.
(这里曾经是家医院,后来改成了学校。)
Peru was formerly ruled by the Spanish.
(秘鲁曾受西班牙人统治。)
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