过去进行时(Past continuous tense或Past Progressive tense),表示过去在某一时间段或某一段时间内正在发生或进行的动作。在英语时态中,“时”指动作发生的时间,“态”指动作的样子和状态。
一、概念和用法:过去进行时。
表示过去在某一时间段或某一段时间内正在发生或进行的动作或状态。其形式为主语+was/were+动词的现在分词。常与表示过去的时间状语连用,如:last night,last Saturday,yesterday等;或者与when,while,as引导的过去时间状语连用。在英语时态中,“时“指动作发生的时间,”态“指动作的样子和状态。例如:We were watching TV from seven to nine last night.昨天晚上七点到九点的时候我们在看电视。What was he researching all day last Sunday?上周日他一整天都在研究什么?
二、过去进行时可以表示在过去某个时间点发生的事情。时间点可以用介词短语、副词或从句来表示。如:What was she doing at nine o‘clock yesterday?昨天晚上九点她正在做什么?(介词短语表示时间点)When I saw him he was decorating his room.当我看见他的时候他正在装饰房间。(when从句表示时间点)
三、在复合句中,如果主要动作和背景动作都是延续的或同时发生的,那么主从句的动词都可用过去进行时。例如:While he was waiting for the bus,he was reading a newspaper.他边等车边看报。(两个动作都是延续的)He was cleaning his car while I was cooking.他擦车时我在做饭。(两个动作同时进行)
四、通常不能用于过去进行时的动词主要有:agree,be动词,believe,belong,care,forget,hate,have(拥有),hear,know,like,love,mean,mind,notice,own,remember,seem,suppose,understand,want,wish等。静态动词暂时性动词同样也不能用过去进行时。
例如:错误:I was knowing the answer.
正确:I knew the answer.我知道答案。
错误:I wasn‘t understanding him.
正确:I didn‘t understand him.我不明白他的意思。
现在分词
1.在动词原形后直接加-ing
look-looking cook-cooking read-reading
2.以不发音字母e结尾的动词,去掉e再加-ing
write-writing live-living
3.以重读闭音节结尾且末尾只有一个辅音字母的动词,双写该辅音字母后再加-ing
begin-beginning swim-swimming sit-sitting
4.少数几个以ie结尾的动词,要变ie为y,再加-ing
tie-tying die-dying lie-lying
(when和while)
两者的区别如下:
①when是at or during the time that,既指时间点,也可指一段时间;
while是during the time that,只指一段时间,因此when引导的时间状语从句中的动词可以是终止性动词,也可以是延续性动词,而while从句中的动词必须是延续性动词。
②when说明从句的动作和主句的动作可以是同时,也可以是先后发生;while则强调主句的动作在从句动作的发生的过程中或主从句两个动作同时发生。
③由when引导的时间状语从句,主句用过去进行时,从句应用一般过去时;如果从句和主句的动作同时发生,两句都用过去进行时的时候,多用while引导,如:
a.When the teacher came in,we were talking.
当此句改变主从句的位置时,则为:
While we were talking,the teacher came in.
b They were singing while we were dancing.
④when和while还可作并列连词。when表示“在那时”;while表示“而,却”,表对照关系。如:
a.The children were running to move the bag of rice when they heard the sound of a motor bike.
孩子们正要跑过去搬开那袋米,这时他们听到了摩托车的声音。
b.He is strong while his brother is weak.
他长得很结实,而他弟弟却很瘦弱。