- 注意after和in的使用:从某时说到多少时间以后,不用after,而用in。如果指“某个时刻,日期或事件以后”,用after。
He will/would arrive in four weeks.
He will(或would)arrive after four o'clock /5 July/the ceremony.
- 表达“某事件的若干时间以后”时,应是“若干时间after事件”,而不是“after若干时间of事件”。可说two hoursafterhis arrival,不可说aftertwo hours of his arrival。在“two hoursafterhis arrival”前加不同的介词,有不同的意思:“two hoursafterhis arrival”单用时指“他到达两小时以后”。若前面加the,如the two hoursafterhis arrival指“他到达以后的两小时”,加for指“在他到达以后的两小时全段时间里”,加in 跟没有in意思相同,加within指“在他到达以后的两小时中的某时刻”;
- 指“若干时间after日期或月份”时,常把当天的日期或当月除外。如five daysafter3 July,指从7月4日算起的5天以后,也就是7月9日。但有例外,five daysafterI July可能指7月8日,monthsafterJuly可能指11月,注意避免这种结构产生误解;
- 指“从过去的某时或某事说到现在”时,不用after,用since,所以可说Since his graduation he has been abroad.(since不可改成after)一定要改的话,可表示为After his graduation he went abroad. 这里的after是介词,用作连接词时用法一样。
He went abroad after he graduated.
不可说 He has been abroad after he graduated.
- halfafterfour,five minutesaftereight等是美国英语,相当于英国英语half past four,five minutes past eight等,英国方言中也有halfafterfour等表达方式;
- after引导的状语从句,用现在时态,不用将来时态。
I shall start after he comes.
- after常指时间先后的次序,而behind常指位置,如August comesafterJuly,用after,,而A garden lies behind the house,用behind。不过有时after和behind可以通用。
Please shut the door after/behind you.
He came in after/behind her.
- beafter指“追求,要求”,
He is after you.
他正在追求你。
He is always after me to teach him the violin.
他老是要我教他小提琴。
- afterall有时指“虽然这样”,
In coming home we got caught in the rain and became wet through and through, after all I don't mind as we had a fine time.
- 不可说beafterdoing …,这里不是指想要做什么,或是将要做什么,而是已经做了什么。但是可以用afterdoing…的结构。
After completing this form, give it to the secretary.
- after作为副词时,通常不单用,而是以其他形式出现,如afterwards,then或afterthat。
I'm going to do my exams, and afterwards I'm going to study medicine.