1. 早；先；提早　 before the usual, arranged or expected time
2. 在初期，在早期　 near the beginning of a period

　bear ～　早熟
　come ～　早来
　get up ～　早起
　go to bed ～　早睡
　return ～　早点回来
　set off ～　早些出发

　Sorry, I can't be here so early.　对不起，我不能那么早到这里。
　Please come early.　请早些来。
　He got up exceedingly early this morning.　他今天早晨起得非常早。
　Mike comes to school earlier than Kate.　迈克比凯特上学早。
　I got up early so as to be in time for the train.　为了赶火车，我一早就起床了。
　I'll have to see about your request to leave early.　你要求早退，我得过问此事。
　Tired out after her long walk, she went to bed early.　她在长途跋涉后疲倦已极，便早早去睡了。
　Shop early and avoid the crowd.　早点买东西，以免人挤。
　Dusk sets early in winter.　冬季天黑得早。
　Man learned early to use tools.　人类很早就学会了使用工具。
　His genius as a painter flowered very early.　他作为画家的才华很早就显露出来了。
　Her musical talent blossomed early.　她的音乐天赋很早就展现了。
　Earlier this week he told me he was leaving for London.　这星期早些时候他对我说他要去伦敦。
　Although their daughter is in her early twenties, they still treat her as a child.　虽然他们的女儿已经二十出头，可是他们还把她当作小孩。
　The sun is not hot early in the day.　早晨太阳不热。

 ♣ early and late
　从早到晚　at all times
　He's at his desk early and late.　他一天到晚伏案工作。
　Mother works hard early and late.　母亲从早到晚地辛苦工作。
 ♣ early or late
　早晚　sooner or later
　We shall find the truth early or late.　迟早我们会查出事实真相。

 ♣ early, early on
　early on　原为英式英语，现在美式英语也通用，在非正式文体中须去掉on. 其意思是“初时，在较早的阶段，早些时候”。有些语法学家认为这和later on一样属于用词不够经济的例子，但在实际英语中， early on经常有人用。例如：
　Mary came to see you earlier on, but you weren't at home then.　玛丽早些时候来看望过你，但你当时不在家。
 ♣ early, ago
　两者都可表达“某时之前若干时间”。其区别在于：如果是从现在起向过去推算，用表示时间度量的短语加ago，并与动词的一般过去时连用；如果表示从过去时刻向更深远的过去推算，则用earlier，并常与动词的过去完成时连用。例如：
　Stirring scene from the film still sticks in my mind, though I saw it several years ago.　虽然这部影片我是几年前看的，但那激动人心的场面仍然印在我的脑海里。
　Four days earlier his foot had been bitten by a poisonous snake. 　4天前他的脚被毒蛇咬了一下。
 ♣ early, quick, shortly, soon
　这组词的共同意思是“不久”“即刻”“快”。其区别在于：early常指时间比原来或通常早些；quick含有匆忙、仓促之意；soon指在某一特定时间过现在之后不久，多用于将来时或过去时，通常放在句末或主要动词之前；shortly与soon同义，但比soon更郑重，常用于新闻报道等。例如：
　You have to think quick with the mind and act quick with the body.　你必须脑子转得快，行动也得快。
　I came early, and had to wait for others, but soon after five o'clock they appeared.　我来得早，得等其他人，可是刚过5点他们就都来了。
　Shortly after that, the police arrived.　那事情发生不久警察就到了。

　这件事发生于1980年1月初的一个寒冷的早晨。
　［误］ It happened on a cold morning in the early of January, 1980.
　［正］ It happened on a cold morning early in January, 1980.
　［析］ “1月初”在英语里是early in January.

1. 早的，提早的　 arriving, developing, happening, etc. before the usual, arranged or expected time
2. 早期的；清早的；早年的　 happening towards the beginning of the day, one's life, a period of time, etc.
3. 早日的，及早的　 happening soon

　～ death　早死，夭折
　～ morning　一大早
　～ spring　早春时节
　quite ～　很早
　too ～　太早
　appropriately ～　早得适当
　comfortably ～　早得适宜
　conveniently ～　早得合适
　exceptionally ～　特别地早
　gloriously ～　早得恰当
　needlessly ～　不必要地早
　remarkably ～　非常早
　ridiculously ～　早得可笑
　sufficiently ～　很早
　unnecessarily ～　早得不必要
　unpleasantly ～　早得令人不愉快
　unusually ～　特别地早

　The early bird catches the worm.　捷足先登。
　He is an early riser.　他惯于早起。
　I hope for an early answer to my question.　我希望能尽早得到对问题的答复。
　Man's earliest implements were carved from stone and bone.　人类最早的工具是由石头和骨头刻制而成的。
　The early morning train is being taken off for the summer.　早班火车夏季将停运。
　She returned in the early morning.　她一大早就返回来了。
　We were up talking about various things until the early hours of the morning, and didn't turn in until past two o'clock.　我们坐着聊天，讨论各种各样的事情直到深夜，两点过后才上床睡觉。
　In his early years he liked ships.　他小时候喜欢船。
　He graduated from an academy of music in his early days.　他早年毕业于一所音乐专科学校。
　Waterfalls are from very early times a favourite theme for the painters.　瀑布自古以来就是画家喜爱的主题。
　In addition to stone tools, the early people must have made pottery in this area.　除了石器以外，这一地区的先民也一定制作过陶器。
　The archaeologists uncovered an early Egyptian city.　考古学家发掘出一座埃及早期城市。
　It is an early tool in recent excavations.　这是最近发掘出的古代工具。
　Please reply at your earliest convenience.　请在您方便时尽早答复。
　You are early.　你（来得）很早。
　The crops and the fruits are early this year.　今年的庄稼和水果都早熟。
　It is still quite early.　还很早。
　It is better to be too early than too late.　不怕早就怕晚。
　The train was ten minutes early.　火车早到了十分钟。
　It is too early for getting up.　现在起床还太早。
　It is early for her twenties.　她20岁刚出头。

 ♣ early days (yet)
　尚早　too soon to be sure how a situation, etc. will develop
　I'd like to think that they might get married eventually, but it's early days yet.　我想他们最终可能会结婚，但那还为时尚早。
 ♣ go to earlier graves than
　比…死得早　die earlier than sb
　Men suffered more heart disease and went to earlier graves than women.　得心脏病的男人比女人多，因而男人比女人死得早。
 ♣ keep early hours
　早睡早起　be early to bed and early to rise
　He keeps early hours.　他早睡早起。

 ♣ 下面两个句子的意思相同：

　第一句中的early是形容词，修饰morning；第二句中的early是副词，修饰in the morning.

1. 你来得真早，别人还都没来呢。
　［误］ You early; none of the others are here yet.
　［正］ You are early; none of the others are here yet.
　［析］ early在这里是形容词，作表语是“早的”“及早的”的意思，前面必须加be的适当形式。
2. 早睡早起是我们每个人都应养成的好习惯。
　［误］ Earlier to bed and earlier to rise is a good habit which every one of us should practise.
　［正］ Early to bed and early to rise is a good habit which every one of us should practise.
　［析］ early to bed and early to rise是习惯用语，其中early不可用比较级形式。

　［同义词］ adv. quick, shortly, soon adj. advanced, forward, undeveloped, young
　［反义词］ adv. lately adj. last, late, near the end
　［词源］　古英语ærlice（早，早的）