句子的时态通常用过去时态——比如过去完成时、一般过去时、过去进行时等。
往往含有“不迟于”的意味。
例:by the end of January
一月底之前(指一月份结束前的几天)
We are to complete the task by the end of the year.
年底之前我们必须完成此项任务。
有时 by the end of...所表示时间并不修饰谓语动词,而是修饰句中的非谓语动词,此时与句子时态无关。
如:We were working full steam ahead to finish the project by the end of April. 为了赶在四月底以前完成这个项目,我们全力以赴。(by the end of April 修饰不定式 to finish…)
过去完成时
强调在所提及的过去时间之前已完成的动作,句子暗示两个时间:一个是 by the end of 后面的过去时间,另一个是“the end of + 过去时间”之前的时间。
如:By the end of last month, I had planted thousands of trees.
到上个月末,我已经种了数千棵树了。
By the end of last month, he had been robbed at least three times.
到上月底,他已被抢了至少三次。
I’d had a bellyful of his family by the end of the weekend.
到周末的时候,我已经受够了他一家人。
By the end of the day we had sold over 2000 tickets.
那一天下来我们卖出了两千多张票。
By the end of that year Henry had collected more than a thousand foreign stamps.
到那年年底,亨利已收集了一千多张外国邮票。