內容簡介
一位聽眾來信詢問單詞 “later”、“past” 和 “after” 之間的共同點和區別。這三個詞都可以用來表示 “某事發生在另一件事情之後”，但它們具體所指的 “之後” 卻有一定程度上的差別。這三個詞可以用在哪些時態中？本期節目將逐一講解它們的用法和區別。
文字稿
（關於臺詞的備註: 請註意這不是廣播節目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現錄制、編輯過程中對節目做出的改變。）
Georgie
Hello and welcome to Question and Answer of the Week. I’m Georgie.
Feifei
And I’m Feifei. This week we are answering this question:
Question
Hello. Could you please talk about the differences and similarities between the words ‘later’, ‘past’, and ‘after’ – what tenses are they used in and how to use them exactly? Thanks!
Feifei
That’s a great question! Well, let me tell you Georgie… after I woke up this morning, I saw that it was way past the time I usually leave for work. Later, I realised that I hadn’t set my alarm.
Georgie
Well, it’s lucky you got here in time to answer this question! As you’ve just demonstrated, we use all these words to talk about time, specifically, a point in time subsequent to another point in time. But they’re used in slightly different ways.
Feifei
Let’s start with ‘after’. ‘After’ is similar to the word ‘following’ and is commonly used when talking about a sequence of events. “After” 是個介詞。我們在對一系列事情進行描述的時候，就可以用 “after” 來描述事情的順序，表示 “一個接一個” 或者 “在…的之後”。
Georgie
Yes. But with this one, you have to specify the event that happens first, like when you said ‘after I woke up’. Let’s hear some other examples.
Examples
After I had breakfast, I got dressed and left the house.
（吃完早飯後，我穿好衣服，然後離開瞭傢。）
She will call you after she leaves the birthday party.
（她離開生日聚會後會給你打電話。）
Feifei
‘Later’ as an adverb is similar to ‘after’, but this time, you don’t have to indicate the event that comes first. It’s an unspecified period of time subsequent to the current one. 也就是說，“later” 作為副詞與 “after” 類似，但在用 “later” 的時候，我們不必指出先發生的事件。因為 “after” 所指的 “之後” 是在當前時間之後的一段未指明的時間。
Georgie
That’s right. Use it when you don’t want or need to give details. When you said that later, you realised you hadn’t set your alarm, you didn’t specify when you had that realisation. Let’s hear some other examples.
Examples
She’s planning a trip to Africa later in the year.
（她計劃今年晚些時候去趟非洲。）
I’m busy at the moment, so let’s have a meeting later.
（我現在有點忙，所以咱們晚點再開會。)
Feifei
You can also use ‘later’ as the comparative form of ‘late’. “Later” 是 “late” 的形容詞比較級，if you pair it with ‘than’.
Georgie
Yes, that would mean that something was ‘more late’ than something else.
Examples
Her flight was delayed, so she arrived later than expected.
（她的航班延誤瞭，所以她比原計劃晚到瞭。）
The event starts at 7:00, so please don’t arrive later than 6:45.
（活動7點開始，所以請不要遲於6:45分到達。）
Feifei
Now, the word ‘past’ has many meanings, but the most relevant here is its use as a preposition in the context of time. It has a similar meaning to ‘later than’. “Past” 作為介詞與 “later than” 類似，指 “晚於某個時間”。
Georgie
As a preposition, it has this idea of passing a point in time. This means that a moment has gone beyond, or is later than the expected time. So, remember you said that when you woke up, it was way past the time you usually leave for work. You were behind your usual schedule.
Feifei
‘Past’ is frequently used with words like ‘well’ and ‘way’ to emphasise how far the time has gone. 也就是說，我們可以用 “well past” 或者 “way past” 來強調時間已經過去瞭許久。Let’s hear two examples.
Examples
They stayed in the office well past 5 o’clock to complete the project on time.
（為瞭按時完成項目工作，他們在辦公室工作的時間遠遠超過瞭5點。）
I can’t stay awake for the New Year at midnight. It’s way past my bedtime.
（我可堅持不到元旦凌晨守歲，那早就過瞭我的睡覺時間。）
Feifei
OK, so what about which tenses they can all be used in? All three words are quite flexible. “Later”、“past” 和 “after” 這個三個詞的用法都很靈活。They can all be used to describe events in the past, present and future, as long as you’re clear on the order of events.
Georgie
We’ve heard examples of ‘after’ in the past, so let’s hear it used to describe a routine and a future plan.
Examples
I usually have a big dinner after football practice.
（我通常在足球訓練結束後大吃一頓。）
We’ll speak to Larry after he gets back from work.
（我們等拉裡下班回來後和他聊聊。）
Feifei
‘Later’ similarly can be used in many contexts. Let’s hear some varied examples.
Examples
He chose the chocolate cake but later regretted the decision.
（他選瞭巧克力蛋糕，但後來後悔瞭。）
It’s good to get work experience that will be useful later.
（獲得對日後有用的工作經驗是件好事兒。）
Georgie
And finally, let’s hear the word ‘past’ used in some other time frames.
Examples
The performance continued past midnight, delighting the audience.
（演出一直持續到午夜後，讓觀眾感到十分高興。）
If you submit the project on Tuesday, it’ll be well past the deadline.
（你要是周二才提交項目，就遠遠超過最後期限瞭。）
Feifei
To summarise, ‘after’, ‘later’ and ‘past’ are all used to say that something happens subsequent to another thing. 這三個詞都用來表示 “某事發生在另一件事情之後”。
Georgie
‘After’ must be used in conjunction with whatever happens first, whereas ‘later’ can be used without specifying what happens first – it’s more vague.
Feifei
And ‘past’ means that a moment has gone beyond a certain time.
Georgie
Remember, if you have a question about the English language you’d like to ask us, please send us an email. Our email address is: questions.
Feifei
你也可以通過微博向我們提問。我們的微博賬號是 “AYYBLOG英語教學”。Bye!
Georgie
Bye!
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