(1) never...but, hardly...but后接从句, never/not...without后接名词、动名词,均可表达“每当……总是……”的意思,但hardly...but是“几乎不……就……”,程度上较另外两个要重。
- I never go past my old school but I think of Mr. Wilkins, the headmaster.
每当我走过我的母校时,总会想到校长魏尔金斯先生。 - We never arrange a cricket match but it rains.
每当我们计划一场板球赛时,天总要下雨。 - Never a week passes but she writes to her boyfriend.
每一个星期,她都要给男朋友写信。
(2) 有时也用hardly...but后接从句,表示“几乎不……就……”。
- Hardly a week passes but I get another good idea.
几乎没过完一个星期我就又有了一个好主意。
(3) 在上述例句中,不用but引出从句,而用“without +-ing”结构,意思不变。如(1)中第一句即可变为:
- I never go past my old school without thinking of Mr. Wilkins, the headmaster. (When I go past my old school, I always think of Mr. Wilkins, the headmaster.)
每当我走过我的母校时,总是想到校长魏尔金斯先生。 - One cannot think of Africa without thinking of Egypt, the cradle of an ancient civilization, nor of Egypt without the Nile.
人们一想到非洲,就不能不想到埃及这个古代文明的摇篮,而一想到埃及就不能不想到尼罗河。