英文中如何表达“过去发生的事”?(1)

2014-11-21 12:51阿卡索英语

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。)

(下转 第二部分

相关推荐

职场英语培训哪的好,有哪些选择方式

职场英语培训班哪家好,有哪些好的选择方式

职场英语口语:分享一些平时工作中常用的英......

职场英语零基础怎么学?其实职场英语学习并......