[ti:After and Afterward]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:02.00]This week, we received a question from Rose in Brazil. She asks,
[00:08.00]I would like to know the difference between after and afterward
[00:13.12]and how I can use both correctly.
[00:17.08]Besides that, I would like to know if there is a difference between afterwards and afterward.
[00:25.28]Thanks in advance. -- Rose, Brazil.
[00:29.12]Dear Rose,
[00:30.68]You have asked about two words that seem very similar.
[00:34.56]But they are in fact used differently.
[00:37.92]"After" has many uses in English: it can be used as an adverb,
[00:43.20]a conjunction, a preposition or even a noun.
[00:47.32]First, I will explain how it is used as an adverb.
[00:52.32]The adverb "after" means following in time or at a later time.
[00:57.72]Notice that this can be used in the same way you use the word "later."
[01:03.56]She returned from the trip one year after.
[01:07.56]It is probably more common to use "after" as a preposition.
[01:12.16]It means at a time following, as in these sentences:
[01:16.84]My brother was born five years after my parents' wedding.
[01:21.64]The bus arrives at five minutes after two o'clock.
[01:26.48]And after is also used as a conjunction,
[01:30.04]that is, it joins together two ideas in one sentence.
[01:35.12]Don't tell them until after they have had lunch.
[01:38.92]Now on to "afterward."
[01:41.64]"Afterward" is only used as an adverb.
[01:44.80]It helps describe an action that happens at a later time.
[01:49.96]Kai got the job and received a promotion afterward.
[01:54.60]You may have seen "afterward" with an "s" at the end.
[01:58.52]This form is much more common in British English
[02:01.84]and less formal American English.
[02:05.00]There is no difference in meaning between afterwards and afterward.
[02:10.76]You may hear:
[02:12.24]Why don't we take her to lunch afterwards?
[02:16.08]Both "afterward" and "afterwards"
[02:18.64]can be used in the same way you would use the word later.
[02:23.88]But "after" has many more uses than these two forms.
[02:28.16]That's Ask a Teacher for this week.
[02:31.80]What question do you have about English?
[02:34.56]Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
[02:40.64]I'm Jill Robbins.
[02:44.16]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM