as, when, while的區別:as, when, while都表示主、從句的動作或狀態同時發生,但三者意義不相同。
1. as和when引導的從句既可表示一點時間,也可表示一段時間,從句中的謂語動詞既可以是持續性動詞,也可以為短暫性動詞,經常可以互換使用;
His mother called him Robbie when he was a baby.
2. while引導的從句通常表示一段時間,從句中宜用持續性動詞作謂語。
I’ll look after the children while you are making dinner.
當從句中的謂語動詞為持續性動詞時,as, when, while可以通用,如:
Mother was worried because little Alice was ill, especially as / when / while father was away in France.媽媽擔心,因為小艾麗思病了,特別是當父親遠在法國的時候。
如果從句和主句要表示一個人的兩個動作交替進行或同時完成時,則多用as,可譯為“一邊......,一邊......”。
例如:
He looked behind from to time as he went.他一邊走,一邊不時地往后看。
As time goes on, it’s getting warmer and warmer..隨著時間的推移,天氣變得越來越暖了。
I thought of it just as you opened your mouth.你一張嘴我就知道你要說什么。(若表示兩個短促動作幾乎同時發生時,用as的場合多于when.)
當主從句之間表示轉折或對比關系時,多用while, 不用as或when。如:
She thought I was talking about her daughter, while in fact, I was talking about my daughter.她以為我在談論她女兒,而事實上,我在談論我的女兒。
如果表示從句的動作在主句的動作“之前”或“之后”發生時,多用when(=after), 不用as或 while。此外,when還含有“at that moment”的意思(= and then),引起的句子不能放在句首,也不能用as, while來替換。例如:
He was about to leave when the telephone rang.他正要離開,忽然電話鈴響了。
We were watching TV when suddenly the lights went out.我們正在看電視,突然燈滅了。
They had just arrived home when it began to rain.他們剛到家,天就開始下雨了。