| 词组 | directly |
| 释义 | directly 1. A sense that directly does not share with the adverb direct is "immediately." Vizetelly 1906 notes the existence of some objectors to this use in America (we can count Bierce 1909 among these), but he says the use is popular in England. It has been in British use since Shakespeare's time. • With undoubting decision she directly began her adieus —Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814 • ... reading it directly after Rowe's most tense contribution to the form —Bonamy Dobrée, English Literature in the Early Eighteenth Century, 17001740, 1959 It is also in American use: • ... he may start off with an idea, but almost directly he is back to type —Otis Ferguson, New Republic, 22 Nov. 1954 • ... in the 50 or 75 years directly before he began to write —Irving Howe, New Republic, 4 July 1955 • Directly after his graduation —Current Biography, January 1965 Some commentators (Jensen 1935, Longman 1984) worry that this sense of directly might be confused with other senses. Ambiguous examples do occur, but they would seem not to bother the reader much because the senses invoked seem to reinforce each other rather than conflict. Here are a few: • ... the most proper thing to be done was for him to walk down to the parsonage directly, and call on Mr. Crawford —Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814 • Let me say directly that the définition of the naturalistic school will vary somewhat in the case of each literary historian —Maxwell Geismar, College English, January 1954 • When Joe Kennedy finished saying a few terse words to his family, he went directly to his room —Gail Cameron, Ladies' Home Jour., August 1971 2. There is also a weakened sense that means "after awhile, shortly"; it is chiefly, but not exclusively, American. • Pretty soon it darkened up, and ... directly it begun to rain —Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, 1884 (A Mark Twain Lexicon, 1938) • I expect Rachel in directly, as she said she should not stay a moment after Tregenna and Bella were gone —The Letters of Rachel Henning Written between 1853 and 1882, published in Sydney, Australia, 1952 We are uncertain to what extent this use may be limited geographically in current use. Our most recent citations are South Midland or Southern. The Dictionary of American Regional English should have the final word when the volume containing D appears. 3. The conjunction directly meaning "as soon as" has drawn fire from American critics in the past (for instance Ayres 1881, MacCracken & Sandison 1917, and Jensen 1935) but is in standard British use. • See how silly H. I. is directly I turn my back —Ellen Terry, letter, 26 Dec. 1896 • ... and directly we enter it we breast some new wave of emotion —Virginia Woolf, in A Century of the Essay, ed. David Daiches, 1951 • Directly you slip it on, this shoe feels like an old friend —advt, Punch, 24 Jan. 1951 • ... I decided that directly I had £5001 would escape —Alan Moorehead, A Late Education, 1970 • ... it gets very cold at sea directly the sun sets — Robin Brandon, The Good Crewman, 1972 See also immediately. |
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