核心问题
By the time the doctor arrived the patient had died.
如何分析句中的 by the time?
词典解答
从结构上看, By the time the doctor arrived 是介词 + 名词 + 定语从句, 即 By the time the doctor arrived = By the time that the doctor arrived。因此, 有一派英语语法学家, 如 R. Quirk 等把它看作是介词短语 + 定语从句, 具有类似于时间状语从句的语义功能。另一派英语语法学家, 如薄冰教授等则把 by the time 干脆看作是从属连词, 引导时间状语从句。