as a boy的意思是“当……还是一个孩子的时候”,相当于when sb was a boy…。如:
He lived in Edinburgh as a boy. 他年轻时住在爱丁堡。
Even as a boy he was hopeless at maths. 小时候他数学就很差。
As a boy, I lived on a farm in Maine. 在我是个小男孩时,我住在缅甸州的一个农场里。
请问这样用的as可以换成when或while吗?
陈老师:
▲你说得对,as a boy可以表示“当……还是一个孩子的时候”,相当于when sb was a boy。类似地,英语也可以说 as a child(当还是个孩子的时候)、as a little girl(当还是个小女孩的时候)、as a student(当还是学生的时候)、as a teenager(当还是10多岁的时候)、as a young man / as a youngster / as a youth(当年轻的时候),等等。如:
As a teenager I was painfully shy.我十几岁时非常害羞。
As a youth he chose to be a cartoonist. 他年轻时立志做一个漫画家。
As a young man he was admired, but as an old man he became a figure of fun. 年轻时,他受人崇拜;到老了,却被人嘲笑。
As a student I lived in Oxford but was a frequent visitor to Belfast.求学时我住在牛津,但常常去贝尔法斯特。
As a school boy he was compelled to wear shorts even in winter. 上中学时,即使在冬天他也被迫穿着短裤。
▲你问这样用的 as 能不能换成 when 或 while——好像很少这样用(尤其是while,有人认为不能这样用),但尽管很少用,也偶尔可见此类用法(包括一些权威词典也有收录)。如:
He had strayed from home while still a boy. 他小时候就离开家到处流浪了。(《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》)
When a boy he liked to wander about the fields and the woods. 他小时候喜欢在田野和树林里漫游。(费致德编著《现代英语惯用法词典》)
曾老师:
as a boy在表示时间概念时可以换为when sb. was a boy。 但是“As+a+名词”并不总是表示时间概念的,下面的句子就不能改为when引导的时间从句: As a young man, you should be spirited and enthusiastic. 作为年轻人,你应该有冲劲和热情。
胡老师:
谢谢老师!非常感谢!