Jennifer: What’s the smell? The room smells like cigarette smoke.
Vicki: You’re right. My boss has just smoked here.
Jennifer: Open the window, please. I can’t stand the smell of the cigarettes. It makes me uncomfortable.
Vicki: Actually, it has been a year since Jay smoked. I don’t know why he’s been smoking recently.
Jennifer: Maybe he’s under a lot of pressure these days.
Vicki: Does your father smoke?
Jennifer: No, he doesn’t.
Vicki: It is ten years since my father began to smoke.
Jennifer: You should persuade him to give up smoking. It’s harmful.
Vicki: I tried, but it didn’t work.
Molly: Kathy，對話裡有兩句話很相似，它們表達的意思相同嗎？
It has been a year since Jay smoked.
It is ten years since my father began to smoke.
老師：你覺得呢，Molly？
Molly：我覺得都是表達“已經抽菸多少年”的意思。
老師：這麼看來，關於“It is/ has been +時間段 + since + 從句”的這個結構和用法你還不清楚哦~
Molly：那老師給我講講吧！
老師：這個句型所表達的含義要視since從句的謂語動詞而定，
（1）若從句謂語動詞為瞬間性動詞，表達肯定意義，表示“自從從句中的動作發生以後，時間已經過了多久”。
如：
It is two years since Jim came to China.
Jim來中國兩年了。
It has been three years since they got married.
他們結婚已經三年了。
Molly：知道了，老師。
老師：
（2）若從句謂語動詞為延續性動詞，則表達否定意義，表示“自從從句的動作結束以來，時間已經過了多久”。
如：
It is/has been ten years since he was a doctor.
此句中的系表結構（was a doctor）表示一種狀態，這種狀態是延續的，表示否定意義，譯為“不是，不當”，故這句話的意思是“他不當醫生已經十年了。”
Molly：哦~我明白了。
老師：試比較課堂前的兩個句子：
It has been a year since Jay smoked.
It is ten years since my father began to smoke.
Molly，你現在可以區別出兩句話的差異了嗎？
Molly：嗯！前一句的意思是“Jay戒菸已經一年了。”，後一句的意思是“我爸爸抽菸已經十年了。”
老師：Good！smoke是延續性動詞，所以在句中表達否定含義，要譯作“戒菸”而不是“抽菸”；begin是瞬間性動詞，在句中表達肯定意義，直譯即可。
Molly：I got it!
老師：注意，在此句型中，since從句的謂語動詞要使用一般過去時且不能用否定式來表達否定意義哦~
例如表達“他好久沒學漢語了。”
我們不可以說：
（誤）It is a long time since he didn’t study Chinese.
而是要說：
（正）It is a long time since he studied Chinese.
Molly：知道啦！
老師：A miss is as good as a mile. 失之毫釐，謬以千里。這個句型中，從句謂語動詞是否為延續性動詞至關重要哦~
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