late(ly)
1.late用作形容词或副词，lately只用作副词。说“晚”或“迟”只可以用late，不可用lately，如come late，sit up late，marry late in life等表达方式里的late不可改作lately。说“近来”该用lately。例如：He has arrived lately. 用late现在很不普通，该避免。说“不久以前…但现在并不…”用late。例如：Mr J. C. Jones，late of London, has arrived in China.
2.too late for the train（赶不上火车）等表达方式里的too可以省去。He got here three minutes late里在late前通常没有too。He is never late for（或to）school里在late前面不可加too。
3.at latest和at the latest都作“至迟”解。例如：We must finish the work on Friday at (the) latest.
4.as late as l952，as late as 6 May等表达方式里不该在1952前面加in或在6 May前加on。
5.later和later on都可以用，如That happened later (on) 和I shall call again later (on)。注意不可从现在算起说明若干时间而用later，如不可说I shall call again a week later，该把a week later改作in a week。
下面各句里的a week later都不是从现在算起，所以用得不错：
- I called on him on 24 July, and called again a week later.
- I shall call on him on 20 October and shall call again a week later.
- When you see him for the first time, you may think him rather inaccessible, but when you see him again a week later you are likely to find him quite likable.
As you have some extra work to do today, you'll have to leave the office an hour later里的an hour later作“比平时（或比原定计划）迟一小时”解。
6.lately和of late都作“近来”解，lately比of late普通。lately可以修饰属于完成时态或过去时态的动词，那动词也许指一时的动作，也许指持续的动作，如He (has) arrived lately和He (has) stayed at home lately。of late通常修饰属于完成时态而表示持续动作的动词。例如：He has stayed at home of late. lately和of late有时修饰属于现在时态的动词。例如：I do not read much lately（或of late）. 但不很普通。
7.the late prime minister，the late headmaster等表达方式里的late有时作“已死的”解，有时作“已退职的”解。在有可能被人误解的场合，该避免这用法。下面几点该注意：
（1）the late Mr Smith（已死的Smith先生）等表达方式里也有the。
（2）my late father，his late brother等里的late当然作“已死的”解。
（3）late作“已死的”解，只指死了不久的人，不可指死了好久的人，如可以说the late George Bernard Shaw，但不说the late John Milton。
