early

常用用法

early on原為英式英語(yǔ),現(xiàn)在美式英語(yǔ)也通用,在非正式文體中須去掉on。其意思是“初時(shí),在較早的階段,早些時(shí)候”。有些語(yǔ)法學(xué)家認(rèn)為這和later on一樣屬于用詞不夠經(jīng)濟(jì)的例子,但在實(shí)際英語(yǔ)中, early on經(jīng)常有人用。例如:
Mary came to see you earlier on, but you weren't at home then.瑪麗早些時(shí)候來看望過你,但你當(dāng)時(shí)不在家。

兩者都可表達(dá)“某時(shí)之前若干時(shí)間”。其區(qū)別在于:如果是從現(xiàn)在起向過去推算,用表示時(shí)間度量的短語(yǔ)加ago,并與動(dòng)詞的一般過去時(shí)連用; 如果表示從過去時(shí)刻向更深遠(yuǎn)的過去推算,則用earlier,并常與動(dòng)詞的過去完成時(shí)連用。例如:
Stirring scene from the film still sticks in my mind, though I saw it several years ago.雖然這部影片我是幾年前看的,但那激動(dòng)人心的場(chǎng)面仍然印在我的腦海里。
Four days earlier his foot had been bitten by a poisonous snake.4天前他的腳被毒蛇咬了一下。

這組詞的共同意思是“不久”“即刻”“快”。其區(qū)別在于:early常指時(shí)間比原來或通常早些; quick含有匆忙、倉(cāng)促之意; soon指在某一特定時(shí)間過現(xiàn)在之后不久,多用于將來時(shí)或過去時(shí),通常放在句末或主要?jiǎng)釉~之前; shortly與soon同義,但比soon更鄭重,常用于新聞報(bào)道等。例如:
You have to think quick with the mind and act quick with the body.你必須腦子轉(zhuǎn)得快,行動(dòng)也得快。
I came early, and had to wait for others, but soon after five o'clock they appeared.我來得早,得等其他人,可是剛過5點(diǎn)他們就都來了。
Shortly after that, the police arrived.那事情發(fā)生不久警察就到了。