“all the while”是一个常用的英语副词短语,核心含义是“一直;始终;自始至终”,强调在某段特定时间内(通常是另一个动作或事件发生的同时)持续存在的状态或动作,带有“伴随、并行”的隐含逻辑。
“all the while”侧重描述两个事件的同步性:当某件事发生时,另一件事“从头到尾一直”在进行。例如:
她表面在听演讲,一直在刷手机。(She pretended to listen to the speech, all the while scrolling through her phone.)
作为副词短语,“all the while”可灵活放置在句首、句中或句末,修饰动词、形容词或整个句子,通常需用逗号与主句隔开(句首或句中时)。
强调“一边…,一边始终…”,突出对比或隐藏的并行行为。
He smiled politely at the guests, all the while thinking about how to end the party early.
(他礼貌地对客人微笑,心里却一直想着怎么早点结束派对。)
She acted calm during the interview, all the while her hands were shaking nervously.
(面试时她表现得很镇定,但手却一直紧张地发抖。)
用于句首时,需用逗号隔开,引出背景或持续的状态。
All the while, the rain was pouring down outside our window.
(自始至终,窗外的雨都在下个不停。)
All the while, I knew he wasn’t telling the truth.
(我一直都知道他没说实话。)
We walked around the city for hours, chatting and laughing all the while.
(我们在城里逛了几个小时,一路上有说有笑。)
They argued about the plan for an hour, and I stood there awkwardly all the while.
(他们为计划争论了一个小时,我全程都尴尬地站在那儿。)
需注意“all the while”与“all the time”的差异:
all the while:侧重特定时间段内的持续(有明确的“同时发生”的背景);
all the time:更泛指“总是、一直”(无特定时间限制,强调频率)。
例如:
She checks her phone all the time.(她总是看手机。→ 习惯性频率)
She checked her phone all the while we were talking.(我们聊天时,她一直在看手机。→ 特定时间段内的并行)
“all the while”常与表示“对比、隐藏、伴随”的语境搭配,比如:
pretend to do… all the while doing…(假装做…,却一直做…)
act… all the while…(表现得…,却一直…)
sth. happens all the while sb. does…(某人做…时,某事一直发生)
“all the while”的核心是“在某段时间内始终伴随另一件事”,用它能精准传达“表面/主要事件”与“隐藏/并行事件”的同步性,让句子更有层次。多结合具体场景练习,就能熟练掌握啦!