until 和 not until 的用法

關於國中會考15題，有網友問能選 until嗎? 剛好趁這個機會教一下 until 的用法：

(1) until:「直到...為止」(根據朗文字典對 until 的定義: if something happens until a particular time, it continues and then stops at that time)

(e.g.) I have waited until 5 o'clock, but she still didn't come. (我一直等到五點，但她仍然沒來)[節錄自文馨辭典]

I was up until three o'clock trying to get it finished! 為了完成工作，我一直熬夜做到三點！ [節錄自Cambridge字典]

(2)not until: 「直到...才...」
(e.g.) We didn't eat until past midnight. (我們一直到過了午夜才吃東西) (很貼字面的翻法是: 我們都沒有吃東西喔~直到過了午夜為止) [節錄自文馨辭典]


所以 until不論在哪個地方，都是翻譯成「直到...為止」，而not...until因為語言邏輯(負負得正)，所以才翻成「直到...才」

再給大家一個例子:
I stayed up late until 5 AM. (我熬夜直到凌晨五點為止 --> 我熬夜熬到凌晨五點。)
I didn't sleep until 5 AM. (我沒有睡覺，直到凌晨五點為止 --> 我直到凌晨五點才睡覺)

結論：until 無論在哪個情況都翻成 「直到...為止」，甚至 not...until 中的 until 也是 「直到...為止」，只是 not ...until 翻成中文會拐個彎，所以  not ...until 會翻成「直到...才」

更多例句，請至以了下線上英英字典的until 條目，每句都翻翻看，都翻對代表你懂 until囉！

(1) Cambridge 

(2) Oxford 

(3) Merriam Webster Learner's Dictionary

(4) Macmillan

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上面都搞懂了，再來學高中課本會學到 until的句型代換，我個人覺得學這個很無趣，但高中文法一定會教，就補充在這裡了～（我去聽研習，教授說: 其實外國人很少用until 的倒裝阿，外國教授都笑我們台灣學的英文很古代 XDD）

例句: 直到和Mary分手，Jack才知道他有多愛她。

Jack didn't realize how much he loved Mary until he broke up with her. 

= It was not until Jack broke up with Mary that he realized that how much he loved her. 

= Not until Jack broke up with Mary did he realize that how much he loved her. 

簡單講就是: 第一句是原本句；第二句是 It is....that...分裂強調句；第三句是 Not until 拉到前面，因為否定副詞放句首，主要子句要倒裝。

詳細用法請參閱: 【老師救救我】until 用法大集合、余老師英文作文教室 until now / up to now / until

如果你要考高中英文教甄，想知道怎麼用全英文教 until 可參考這個影片: