day
1.the 19th day of May等表达方式只用在正式文件里。参见April 3
2.the day before yesterday和the day after tomorrow是英国英语,day before yesterday和day after tomorrow是美国英语。yesterday or the day before和tomorrow or the day after是英国英语,yesterday or day before和tomorrow or day after是美国英语。
3.all day, all day long, all the day和all the day long四语都作“全天”解。例如:He worked all (the) day (long). all day最普通,all the day long最不普通。
4.all day yesterday(昨天全天)和all day tomorrow(明天全天)比all yesterday和all tomorrow普通。
5.day after day,day by day,from day to day和day in,day out四语都作“每天”解。day after day含有“时日长久”的意思,含有“每天重复”的意思。from day to day有时含有“逐渐变更”或“逐渐增加”的意思,有时含有“暂时”或“不固定”的意思。day in,day out(这语最不普通)含有“杳杳无期”的意思,偶尔写作day in and day out。
6.these days指“现今”,those days指“往昔”。例如:these days of reform和those days of isolation。these days往往用作状语短语。例如:These days everybody talks of terrorism. 但those days通常不用作状语短语,如通常不说Those days we knew very little about computer,最好把Those days改作In those days。in these days不及these days普通。注意these days不可改作this day,those days不可改作that day。in the old days(在古时),in the days of old(在古时),in the days to come(在将来),in the days of...(在…的时代)等表达方式里也都用复数形式,但our own day(现今)里用单数形式。
7.one day指过去或将来都可以。例如:I met him in a park one day.和I may meet him again one day. Some day只指将来,不指过去,如可以说I may meet him again some day,不可说I met him in a park some day。
8.this day(今天)似乎比today语气重些。at this day是“现在”,不是“今天”。比较下面两句:
- I have this day received a letter from my father.
- Even at this day my father, who died long ago, is always in my thoughts.
9.to this day(直到现在)所修饰的动词,通常属于现在时态,很少属于完成时态。例如:She keeps(很少用has kept)his ring to this day.
10.this day week指“下星期或上星期的相当的那一天”,如假定今天是星期四,this day week就是下星期四或上星期四。this day month指“下月或上月的相当的那一天”,如假定今天是5月14日,this day month就是6月14日或4月14日。this day year指“明年或去年的相当的那一天”,如假定今天是5月14日,this day year就是明年5月14日或去年5月14日。注意week,month和year前面都没有a。
11.at the present day(现在)比in the present day普通。
12.at day是“在破晓时”,现在不普通。When it was day, the fishermen went out里的day也指“破晓”,前面不可加上the。
13.good day原来在相会和相别的当儿都可以用,现在很少用,最好不用。