一般过去时说的是发生了什么。过去进行时说的是,在那件事发生的时候,还有什么事情已经在进行中。
- I was cooking when the phone rang.
两个事件,两种时态,而这个选择并不是修饰性的:把两者调换一下,意思就变了。
构成方式
was / were + 动词**-ing**
| 主语 | 形式 |
|---|---|
| I, he, she, it | was working |
| you, we, they | were working |
否定句:I wasn't listening. · They weren't waiting. 疑问句:Were you sleeping? · What was she doing?
-ing 形式本身不随人称变化——全部的变化都由 was 和 were 承担。
背景动作与打断它的动作
这是最核心的句型,几乎在所有考试中都会出现。
持续较长的动作用过去进行时表达。突然插入的短动作用一般过去时表达。
- I was walking home when it started to rain.
- She was reading when the lights went out.
When 通常引出较短的那个动作,while 通常引出较长的那个:
- When the lights went out, I was reading.
- While I was reading, the lights went out.
这两句话描述的是同一个夜晚,变化的只是强调的重点。
为什么这个选择会改变意思
- When she arrived, I made dinner. —— 她先到,然后我才开始做饭。
- When she arrived, I was making dinner. —— 做饭这件事已经在进行中。
第一句是一个先后顺序。第二句是一幅正在展开的画面。这里的选错并不是小问题:听的人会理解成完全不同的两件事。
两个动作同时发生
两个动词都用过去进行时,通常用 while 连接:
- I was cooking while he was setting the table.
如何铺陈场景
故事常常以过去进行时开场,等到事件真正开始发生时,再切换到一般过去时。
It was raining. The wind was blowing through the empty street and nobody was waiting at the stop. Then a car pulled up and a man got out.
前三个动词描绘出一幅画面,后两个动词推动情节向前发展。正是这种切换,才让一段叙述真正成为一个故事。
不能加 -ing 的动词
有些动词描述的是一种状态,而不是一个动作,而状态没办法「正在进行」:
know, understand, like, love, hate, want, need, believe, belong, seem
- ❌ I was knowing the answer.
- ✅ I knew the answer.
Have 比较特殊,两种情况都可能出现:I had a car(状态,不加 -ing),但 I was having lunch(动作,可以加 -ing)。
对话中的用法
解释未接的电话
A: I rang you twice yesterday.
B: Sorry — I was driving. What were you calling about?
A: I was trying to find the address. I asked Sam in the end.
B: Ah. I was sitting in traffic for an hour, so I missed everything.
Was driving、were calling 和 was sitting 描述的是当时正在进行的事情;rang 和 asked 描述的是具体发生的事件。
自我检测
下面的测验重点考察 when/while 的用法,以及不能加 -ing 的状态动词。