time
1.说“现在什么时候？”用What is the time? 或What time is it? 都可以。
2.What time will he be back this evening?和At what time will he be back this evening?都可以说。
3.“一次”通常不说a time或one time，该说once，“两次”通常不说two times，该说twice。但下面几点该注意：
（1）在a time or two（一二次）里用a time。例如：I have met with this phrase a time or two.但这不及once or twice普通。
（2）在many a time（许多次）里用a time。例如：I have played chess many a time.
（3）one time有时作“曾经有一次”解。例如：One time a stranger wrote to her asking for her autograph.但不及once普通。
（4）在one time in ten（十次中的一次）等表达方式里用one time。
（5）在two or three times（两三次）里用two times。说twice or thrice也可以，也有人用twice or three times，但很少见。
4.I have met him three (或four) times等句子里的three times的前面没有for。
5.下面第一句里用the，通常有for，偶尔没有for。第二句里用a，通常没有for，偶尔有for：
- When I saw him (for) the second time, he was already married.
- When I saw him (for) a second time, he was already married.
for the ... time比(for) a... time确定，如下面第一句里用for the second time，第二句里用(for) a second time：
- You ought to read it three times, when you read it for the second time, you ought to pay attention to the sentence structure.
- I have seen him once, I do not know whether I shall ever see him (for) a second time.
6.比较下面四句：
- How often do you have your hair cut?
- How frequently does the heart beat?
- How many times does the heart beat each minute?
- How many times have you been absent this term?
第三句和第四句都要求对方说明“次数”。
7.注意下面每句里用属于完成时态的动词。那that可有可无：
- This is the first time (that) I have seen him.
- This is the third time (that) I have been here.
- That was the third time (that) I had been there.
8.下面两句意思相同，第二句不算正当：
- That was the fourth time for him to leave home.
- That was his fourth time to leave home.
9.three times four是“三乘四”，不是“四乘三”。就语法讲，three times four=four reckoned three times=four multiplied by three，那three times是状语短语，所以Three times four is (或are) twelve里的主语是four，不是Three，也不是times。注意three times four后面的动词用单数形式或复数形式都可以。当然，Three times one is three里的is不可改作are。
说“一乘…”该说once...，不说one time...。例如：Once two is (或are) two. 说“二乘...”该说twice...，不说two times...。例如：Twice three is (或are) six.
10.下面第一句和第二句意思相同，但第三句不同：
- Your house is three times the size of mine. （你的房子是我的房子的三倍大小。）
- Your house is three times as large as mine.
- Your house is three times larger than mine. （你的房子比我的房子大三倍［就是我的房子的四倍大小］。）
- 只可说Twenty-one is three times as much as seven，不可说Twenty-eight is three times more than seven。
11.at that time当然不错。但下面几点该注意：
（1）中国学生似乎用得太多，可以用then代替它，有时竟可以删去。
（2）中国学生往往用作“后来便…”解，是错误的，如不可说I saw a mad dog running towards me, at that time I was greatly frightened。该把at that time删去。at that time作“正在那个时候”解，它所形容的动词所表示的动作或情况并不发生在上文所说的什么的以后。例如：
- I saw a mad dog running towards me, at that time I was talking to a friend.
- I saw a mad dog running towards me, at that time I was engaged in conversation.
- He published his first novel at twenty, he was at that time a freshman.
- Everybody was wondering what had become of the little girl and her parents even talked of reporting her disappearance to the police, she was at that time alone with her doll in her bedroom.
12.下面每组里除了第一句以外都有“我们不该再延迟”的含意：
- It is time for us to start.
It is high time for us to start.
It is time we started.
It is high time we started.
It is time that we started,
It is high time that we started.
It is time we should start.
It is high time we should start.
It is time that we should start.
It is high time that we should start. - It was time for us to start.
It was high time for us to start.
It was time we started.
It was high time we started.
It was time that we started.
It was high time that we started.
It was time we should start.
It was high time we should start.
It was time that we should start.
It was high time that we should start.
下面几点该注意：
（1）time前面没有a或the。
（2）在口语里往往省去It is或It was。
（3）用high不及不用high普通。
（4）用that不及不用that普通。
（5）should start不及started普通。
（6）第一组里的第三、第四、第五和第六各句里的started改作start也通，但远不及started普通。
（7）每组里的第三、第四、第五和第六句里的started原来属于虚拟过去式，但现在通常用陈述过去式，如通常说It is (或was) (high) time (that) I was told about the matter，不说It is (或was) (high) time (that) I were told about the matter。当然，在we were，we started，I started等表达方式里的were和started在虚拟过去式和陈述过去式里形式相同。
（8）每组里的第三、第四、第五和第六句里的started改作were starting也可以，但不很普通。
（9）第一组里的第三、第四、第五和第六句里用started，在形式上是过去时态，在事实上却指未来。说这四句的任何一句的时候实际还不曾start。这种结构似乎很奇特，但实际是很普通也很纯正的英语，你在读书的时候见到它，别以为那属于过去时态的动词是印错的。
（10）下面两句意思相同：
- It is getting time we started. （我们该动身的时候快到了。）
- It is about time we started.
13.下面两句意思不同：
- It is time to start. （现在是该动身的时候了。）
- There is time to start. （动身以前还有足够的时间呢［不必着急］。）
14.this time是“这次”，有“跟前次不同”的意思，at this time是“现在”。例如：
He called on me again, this time in the evening. （他又来拜访我了，这次［跟前次不同］是在晚上来的。）
'So he isn't here, you say?' asked the lady, this time in a firm voice and with an odd sort of smile. （“那末你说他不在这里，是吗？”那女子问道，这次［跟前次不同］用一种坚定的语声，带着一种奇怪的微笑。）
Think about the matter again, more seriously this time. （再把这事情考虑一下，这次［不可像前次那样］应该更加慎重些。）
I do not know where he is at this time. （我不知道他现在在哪里。）
15....times是“…次”，at...times是“在…个时候”。例如：
I met him several times. （我遇到了他好几次。）
I met him at several times. （我在好几个时候遇到了他。）
但比较下面两句：
I hope to read the poem another time. （1.我希望把这首诗再读一次。2.我希望在另一个时候读这首诗。）
I hope to read the poem again another time. （我希望在另一个时候把这首诗再读一下。）
第一句用在第二个意思的时候，可以在another前面加上at，第二句可以在another前面加上at。
16.in five weeks是“在五星期以后”或“在五星期以内”（参见in 2），in five weeks time是“在五星期左右以后”。
17.关于at a time和at one time的不同，参见a, an 20 (3)
18.in time作“及时地”、“及时的”或“最后地”解。例如：I hope you will arrive in time. I hope you will be in time. 和You will succeed in time. 在用作“及时地”或“及时的”解的时候，后面往往接for或不定式，但不可接for和动名词，如可以说I hope you will arrive (或be) in time for the ceremony和I hope you will arrive (或be) in time to attend the ceremony，不可说I hope you will arrive (或be) in time for attending the ceremony。
19.on time原来是美国英语，相当于英国英语up to time，作“准时地”或“准时的”解。例如：The train arrived on time. 和She is always on time. 在美国有时作“分期付款的”解。例如：He has bought a television set on time.
20.关于any time，参见any 7。关于each time，参见each 10。关于every time，参见every 8。关于all the time，参见all 11
