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词组 until
释义

■ until

1) 中国人常见的一个错误,就是分不清两种动词体貌 (aspect)。而许多英语语法书,对于动词体貌同时态 (tenses) 用法的密切关系,以及同时间状语用法(尤其是介词用法)的密切关系,也语焉不详。因此,需要牢固树立一些基本概念。

动词究其本身词义,决定了它属于哪一种“体”。到了具体句子中,再受到时态、宾语、状语等影响,表现为“貌”。动词按照其“体”的不同,大致上可以分为四大类(详见本书附录二:“英语动词的体貌”)。

现在看 until。中国人对这个介词兼连词的理解,往往由于对动词的延续体或瞬时体认识不清而发生误解和误用。首先,until 后加上名词成分或是加上一个时间状语从句,与之搭配的主句,其动词如果没有被否定,则其体必须是延续的,也就是说,该主句所表示的必须是一种延续的行为或状态。一般词典上,until 的释义是“直到”,有些人就把中文的“我直到昨天才收到他的信”译成 *I received his letter until yesterday. 其实应该译成 I didn't receive his letter until yesterday 或 Not until yesterday did I receive his letter. 这里动词 receive 是瞬时完成的,如果没有被否定,就不能用于要求表示延续状态的主句之中。而它一被否定了,就表示一种延续状态,符合主句的要求,意思分析起来就是“没有收到信的状态一直延续到昨天为止,到了昨天,状态发生了变化,信收到了”。

until 对前面动词要求的否定,甚至可以进一步向前移动到更前面的另一个动词(谓语动词)上面(而其实这个谓语动词在意义上并不受到否定)。

  • The project isn't scheduled to be completed until late June. (= The project is scheduled not to be completed until late June.)该工程预定要到六月下旬才完工。

至于那些按其本身词义本来就是延续行为或状态的动词,未被否定,当然符合主句的要求。

  • I stayed there until he came.我留在那里直到他来。

这里还要顺带指出,until 如果后面接上时间状语从句,这从句中的动词必须是瞬时完成的,也不可以否定,因为 until 要求一个发生某事的“时间点”,所以不可以说 *until he wore an overcoat 或 *until he didn't come。但是,英语常常可以用一个状态来表示达到这个状态的瞬时变化,此时 until 从句中可以采用这样的延续状态动词。

  • Must policy making wait until all the data are in?难道非得等到所有数据都齐全才能制定政策吗?

此外,把 until 理解为完成某一个行为的最后时限,也是不对的,例如不能说 *Have this car fixed until noon,要把 until 改成 by 才对。

总而言之,在一个由一个主句和一个用 until 引入的从句组成的复合句中,主句必须表示延续的状态或某瞬时事件未发生的状态,而从句则必须表示某一行为或事件的完成。如果 until 作为介词,则后面的名词成分必须表示一个明确的时间点(如 until five o'clock),不能是时段(不能说 *until two hours)

但是,如果不用 until 而用 by 作为介词(后面也是一个时间点而非时段),则动词就不是延续的而是瞬时的,表示在该时间点之前完成某动作或事件。

  • They plan to buy a car by the end of the next year.他们计划次年年底以前买一部车(这里的 buy 是瞬时动词)。

这里的 buy 如果改为 have,by 如果改为 until,意思就变成:“他们计划保有一辆车子直到次年年底为止(到时候把车子卖掉或送给别人)”。

不过,在实际语言中,偶尔也有使用瞬时动词同介词 until 搭配的,但意思仍然是延续的。

  • The coach dismissed the trainees until 3:00 pm.教练让受训者解散,到下午三点再来集合(瞬时动词 dismiss 造成的状态延续到下午三点)。
  • Whichever generator is affected will send a warning to control, then shut down automatically until a service crew gets here.无论哪一个发电机受到影响,都会向操纵台发出警告信号,然后自动关机,直到维修人员赶到(瞬时动词 shut down 造成的状态延续到 a service crew gets here 之时)。
  • They have hung up their tools until spring.他们挂起了自己的工具,等到春天再使用(瞬时动作 hang up 造成的状态延续到 spring 为止)。

这样,凡是使用瞬时动词的句子,如果用了 until,就往往同否定结下不解之缘。但是在中文,则不用否定而用肯定形式来表示。句型通常有三种:

a) 最简单的是 do (did) not... until...(这个 do 可以改用其他助动词)直到…才…

  • You mustn't sign the contract until you hear from me.你一定要等到听到我表态才可以签署合同。
  • They didn't arrive until eight o'clock.他们直到八点钟才来到。
  • They play didn't start until everyone was seated.直到人人都就了座,剧才开演。

这里要注意区分动词究竟是瞬时的还是延续的。通常这种句型的动词是瞬时的,意思就是“直到…才…”。但是有时候动词是延续的,意思就不同,not 与 until 就没有那样直接的关系,而只是延续动词同 until 发生关系(延续的动作或状态发生在 until 之前而不是之后,以 until 的时间点为终点而不是起点),此时中文要保持否定。

  • He simply couldn't wait until tomorrow night.他简直没有耐心等到明天晚上(先是:wait until tomorrow night,然后整个被 couldn't 否定;不是:couldn't wait,然后用 until tomorrow night 来限定,也就是不能理解为:他一直到明天晚上才能等待)。

b) 稍为变换一点的,是 Not until... do...(这个 do 也可以改用其他助动词,主句主谓颠倒)。

  • Not until I left home did I begin to understand how strange my family was.直到我离开了家,我才开始懂得我这一家是多么的奇怪。
  • Not until that evening was she able to recover her self-control.直到那天晚上,她才恢复了自控能力。
  • Not until this moment had the drama of this event truly struck Rachel.(Dan Brown, Deception Point, p.128)直到此时,雷切尔才真正感到这件事件是多么的令人触目惊心。

c) 变得更加复杂一点的,是 It is not until... that...

  • It was not until yesterday that I learned it.我直到昨天才知道。
  • It was not until 1911 that the first of the vitamins was identified.直到 1911 年才发现第一批维生素。
  • It was not until 1827 that the first book for the blind was published in England.直到 1827 年,英国才出版了第一本供盲人阅读的书。

d) 比较少用但是有点特别的,是 It takes + until + 某时间点 + before + 从句,或是 It takes + until + 某时间点 + for + 某人或某物 + to inf.,意思也是“直到…才…”。

  • it could take until 2008 before production can catch up with worldwide demand for the drug. (Newsweek, Oct. 17, 2005, p.39)…可能要到 2008 年,产量才能赶上全世界对这种药物的需求。
  • It took until the mid-1980s for Chile to sustain a per capita income level higher than that of 1973, the year Pinochet seized power.直到 20 世纪 80 年代中期,智利的人均收入水平才高于皮诺切特夺取政权的 1973 年。

2) 由此可见,有 until 出现的这类句子,英文是否定的,中文却要肯定。根本原因就是 until 有“终点”的意思,明确包含了“到了这个时间点,情况就发生变化,原先一直没有发生的事这时候发生了”的意思。如果没有这层意思,情况一直保持到某一时间点而仍然没有变化,用 until 就不合适了。例如说某人能够活到九十岁,英文说 He'll live until 90,意思就是他到了九十岁就会死。如果中文不是这个意思而是说他九十岁以后还有可能继续活下去,英文就不能用 until,要说 He'll live to be 90. 所以 until now 或 until then 之类的时间状语词组,都包含了“发生变化”的意思。

  • I've never been here until today. I wish I had time to see more.我直到今天以前一直没有到过这里。我真恨不得有时间多看一些(情况发生了变化。现在到这里来了)。
  • Until now, you've had no choice where you bought your electricity or gas. Now the choice is yours.从前,你从哪里买你的电力或煤气,是无法选择的。现在选择权在你手里(情况发生了变化)。
  • Elephants can recognize themselves in a mirror and use their reflections to explore hidden parts of themselves, a measure of subjective self-awareness that until now has been shown definitively only in humans and apes, researchers reported yesterday. (The Washington Post, Oct. 31, 2006)据研究人员昨天报道,象照着镜子,可以认出自己来,并且利用反射影像来探看自己身体原先看不见的部位,这种程度的主观自觉性,直到现在以前,只表现在人类和猿猴身上。
  • In reality, the constipation riddle was a very difficult, complex problem to solve. And that's why no one put the pieces of this puzzle together—until now.其实,便秘这个谜,是一个很难解决、很复杂的问题。这就是为什么一直没有人能够把积木的一块块拼到一起,但是现在不同了。
  • He (=Cardinal Thomas Wolsey) maintained the king's favor until he failed to secure an annulment of Henry's first marriage. (Britannia History, Henry VIII)他一直保持着国王对他的宠信,直到他未能完成取消亨利国王的第一次婚姻之时才失宠。
  • The jury found in her favor. The EEOC found in her favor. The law was in her favor—until the Supreme Court overturned it. (C-Span Congressional Chronicle, April 22, 2008)陪审团支持了她。平等就业机会委员会支持了她。法律支持了她—但是后来最高法院却推翻了原案。

如果 now 的时间往前推,until then 也同样表示情况发生了变化。

  • It(Pope John Paul's speech) drew warm applause from Orthodox clerics who until two months ago had demonized the pope and refused to welcome him. (The Associated Press, May 5, 2001)教皇约翰·保罗二世的讲演博得了东正教教士们的热烈鼓掌,而他们直到两个月以前还曾经把教皇妖魔化,拒绝欢迎他。
  • She was assigned to Nebraska where, until then, the company had had no sales representation.她被派往内布拉斯加,原先该公司在那里没有推销代理机构(发生了变化,现在有了)。
  • Up until his father's death, Scot had done extremely well on the World Cup circuit.直到他父亲去世之前,斯考特在世界杯巡回赛当中的表现一直极为出色(他父亲去世之后他就差劲了)。

甚至有时候可以干脆把 until now 译成中文的“从前”。

  • Until now users have tried to personalize their phones with straps and stickers, but they're at a point where they want to personalize the phone itself.从前,用户们设法捆上带子或是贴上标签来标明手机是他个人的,但是,发展到现在,他们已经想要对手机本身施加个人标志的加工了。
  • But I must beware of my own weakness too, for I never knew till now how strong are a parent's temptations to spoil an only child. (Anne Brontё, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Chapter XXVIII)但是我对自己的脆弱也必须加以提防,因为我一直到现在才知道,原来做父母的是多么容易把独生的孩子惯坏,这样做的诱惑力是多么的强烈。

而 up to now 或 so far 则并不包含“发生变化”的意思。

  • But the Senate has up to now viewed the measure more skeptically.但是参议院直到现在仍然对这项措施抱更大的怀疑态度。
  • They were using charcoal right up to my day.直到如今,他们还一直是用煤。

所以,如果表示“截至”某时间点为止的累计数量,就不用 until 而用 up to(美国可以用 as of)。

  • Albany had received about 15 inches of snow as of (*until) 4 p. m.奥本尼截至下午四时下了十五英寸的雪。

而且,until 既然暗示情况发生变化,因而行文的意义中心就落在变化及其以后的情况,而不在 until 之前的情况,而且往往不是表示过了 until 之后会发生相反的变化,而是反而表示过了 until 之后情况会比目前更甚。掌握这一点,对于理解通篇意义,是有帮助的。

  • American are already paying big bucks for fuel. But wait until the temperature drops. Energy officials predict those who use heating oil or natural gas could pay $400 to $600 more this year to heat their homes.(Newsweek, Oct. 10, 2005, p.66)美国人现在已经在燃料上花费大笔的钱财。但是,等到气温下降,情况更要厉害呢。能源官员们预计,那些家中取暖用燃油或天然气的人,今年可能要多支出四百到六百美元(注意:不是“目前花费大,别着急,等到气温下降花费就会少”,而是“到时会更加厉害”)。
  • Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. (Bill Gates, 11Rules)第四条须知:你如果觉得老师太厉害,那么你就等到日后看雇主吧(注意:不是“目前保持现状,等到有雇主时再说”,而是“现在就预计将来就业时会更加如何,拿来与目前相比,重点在将来更加如何”)。
  • "Wait till you start eating," Syd told Henry. "You'll know what seafood is all about." (Mary Higgins Clark, Weep No More, My Lady, p.156)希德对亨利说,“等到你开始吃起来,你就会懂得海鲜是什么滋味了。”(注意:不是“目前要等着,一直等到开始吃再说”,而是“开始吃之后会如何如何”,重点在“开始吃”之后,不在“开始吃”之前。)

3) 但是,实际生活比逻辑概括要丰富复杂得多。有些情况,说是现在发生了变化也可以,说是现在仍然保持未变也可以。尤其是谈到某个即将实行的计划,计划刚刚宣布,但尚未真正实行,也就是说,尚未真正“颠覆”现状。如果单从理论上说,旧的现状可以说是已经到了尽头,可以用 until now 了。但如果从实际上说,旧的现状尚未发生变化,尚不可以用 until now。这时候就出现模棱两可的情况。在语言上也就出现 until now 可用可不用的两种选择。

  • Warren Buffett, the world's second richest man, who is now worth $44 billion, will start giving 85% of his wealth in July, most of it to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Until now, all the money given away by the Gates Foundation has come from the only man above Buffett in our list of the World's Billionaires—Bill Gates. (Forbes, June 26, 2006)全世界第二名首富,如今身家值四百四十亿美元的华伦·巴菲特,将自七月份起开始捐出自己财产的百分之八十五,大部分捐给比尔及梅林达·盖茨基金会。迄今为止,盖茨基金会支出的钱,全都来自本刊《世界亿万富豪排行榜》上唯一排在巴菲特之前的人,即比尔·盖茨。

有关巴菲特慈善捐款的事,也有这样说的:Up to now, the two Gateses have been the only trustees of their foundation. But as his plan gets underway, Buffett will be joining them. 迄今为止,盖茨夫妇一直是他们那个基金会的仅有的董事。不过,随着巴菲特的计划付诸实施,他就会同他们合伙了。

这是因为宣布捐赠和实际捐赠之间有一个时间差,现状究竟打破了没有,可以见仁见智。同样,一些新发明、新发现,刚刚出现时还只是一种理论,现状打破了没有,也一样可以有不同的看法。

  • Until now, the only way astrophysicists could examine the cosmos has been to study light (electromagnetic energy) emitted and absorbed by stars, gas, and dust in a variety of wavelengths from low energy radio waves to optical photons and high energy X-ray and gamma rays. The bundle of ultra-high energy cosmic particles announced today, assuming it is not a statistical fluke, is therefore a breakthrough for cosmic ray astronomy.迄今为止,天体物理学家们观察宇宙的唯一办法,就是研究各个恒星、气体和尘埃以从低能放射波到光频光子到高能 X 射线和γ射线的各种不同的波长所发出和吸收的光(电磁能)。因此,今天所宣布的超高能宇宙粒子束,假定不是一个统计学上的偶然凑巧的话,就是宇宙线天文学上的一次突破。

而 so far 和 up to now 则通常不表示现在发生了变化,但是也不把话说死。

  • It's gone well so far.迄今为止进展顺利。
  • He said, however, so far his advice on the Rumsfeld situation had been considered and rejected. (Newsweek, Oct. 9, 2006, p.38)但是,他说,迄今为止,他有关伦斯菲尔德情况的忠告,经过考虑,都被拒绝了。
  • Persistent hiccuping in addition to weight-loss and difficulty swallowing could be a warning sign of cancer of the esophagus, Professor Tom Walsh, of the James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Dublin, said on Wednesday.“Up to now, hiccups have not been recognized as a possible harbinger of cancer,” Walsh told Reuters.不断打嗝,加上体重减轻以及吞咽困难,可能是食道癌的一个警告信号,这是都柏林詹姆斯·科诺里纪念医院的汤姆·瓦尔什教授星期三说的。“直到如今,打嗝一直没有被承认为癌症的一个可能的先兆。”瓦尔什告诉路透社说。

这里的 so far 和 up to now 都是模棱两可的。甚至有些明明发生了变化的场合,也用 up to。

  • That's what we all thought, up to just a short time ago.那是我们大家直到不久以前的一致想法。

这就同 until 没有多大区别了。

4) “灰色地带”的存在,使得人们往往对有没有发生变化说话时不加以区别。例如一张照片,一座大桥作废炸毁,照片发表在报上时大桥已经不存在了,但仍用 has been... since...:

  • Explosives detonated along the 1,100-foot steel center of the landmark Jamestown Bridge in North Kingstown, R. I., on Tuesday. The bridge has been a crucial link across Narrgansett Bay for motorists headed to Newport since 1940. (The Daily Gazette, Schenectady, New York, April 19, 2006, A12)星期二在罗得岛北金斯敦,沿着那座有标志意义的詹姆斯敦大桥的一千一百英尺的钢质中心部分,炸药引爆了。那座桥自 1940 年以来一直是开往新港的驾车者横跨纳尔根塞特湾的一处关键枢纽。
  • I've refrained up to now from commenting on the latest Joan Houlihan essay...(Joshua Corey, Cahiers de Corey)迄今我一直没有对琼·侯立罕最近的一篇文章加以评论…(但是后面接着就加以评论了)

5) 如果主句的谓语动词不是瞬时的而是延续的,则这个动词不用经过否定就可以直接同 until 联系,表示“某延续动作或状态一直保持到 until 时间点为止,过了该时间点就不再保持”。

  • I worked for a building company until the end of 1999, then I went freelance.我曾经在一家建筑公司供职到 1999 年年底,然后改为从事自由职业。
  • You must wait here in the waiting room until they call your name.你一定要在等候室一直等到人家喊你的名字。

6) 如果 until 从句的主语同主句的主语相同,而且从句的谓语动词是 to be 的变化形式,则从句主语和谓语动词都可以省略。

  • The defendant is presumed innocent until (he is) proven guilty.未证实有罪之前,被告假定为无罪。
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