原书主词条 · 8 个连续词条

past continuous tense

原书 PDF 第 1142—1145 页

past continuous tense¹

短暂性

问

At the end of the first half we were winning 2-1. 上半场结束时，我们以2：1领先。

请问上句中的过去进行时 were winning 与过去时 won 有什么区别？

答

过去进行时的一个很重要的用法,就是表示过去正在进行的暂时性的动作。例如:1. My sister was living in London in 1998. 我妹妹1998年住在伦敦。

I was not listening, so I missed what he said. 刚才我没有听，所以未听到他说什么。不难看出，上句中的 were winning 2-1 强调在前半场暂时以 2:1 领先。如果涉及的是最后结

past continuous tense $^{2}$

果,就应该用一般过去时 won:

He won the race easily. 他轻易地赢了这场比赛。

再如：

It happened while I was living in Beijing. 这件事是我住在北京时发生的。
I lived in Beijing for ten years. 我在北京曾住过10年。

past continuous tense²

礼貌性

问

What were you wanting?

这里的过去进行时是指过去吗？

答

上句中的过去进行时是指现在，而不是指过去，目的在于表示礼貌的态度。由于过去进行时与目前的现实拉开了距离，可以使询问、请求、建议显得很有礼貌。过去进行时比现在进行时和一般过去时显得更客气。

I was wondering if you could help me. 我不知道您是不是能帮助我。
I was hoping you would give me some money. 我希望您给我一些钱。
We were wondering if you were free this evening? 我们不知您今天晚上是不是有空？
I was thinking it might be a good idea to keep the window open. 我看还是把窗户开着的好。
I was wondering if you'd like to come out with me one evening. 不知道你是不是愿意某天晚上和我一起出去玩玩。

(参见 present continuous tense $^{2}$ , past tense, want $^{3}$ )

练习

—Excuse me, sir. Would you do me a favor? —Of course. What is it?

—I ____ if you could tell me how to fill out this form.
1. A
  had wondered
2. B
  was wondering
3. C
  would wonder
4. D
  did wonder(北京高考,02-23)

past continuous tense³

为后面的事件提供背景

问

Not long ago, an aeroplane was flying over New Zealand. There was a television camera crew on board. Suddenly, out in the night sky, a bright sphere came into view. [上海交大《英语》(二), p. 1]

[原译]不久以前，有一架飞机在新西兰上空飞过。机上有个电视摄制组。突然，机外的夜空中有个发光的圆球映入眼帘。（教参）

原译文将 was flying 这一过去进行时译为“飞过”是否恰当？

答

大家知道,过去进行时常常用来为一个动作或一个故事的发生提供背景。上句中的过去进行时 was flying 是为 a bright sphere came into view 以及后面的整个故事提供背景的,也就是说,整个故事是在“飞机正在新西兰上空飞行”的过程中发生的。译者将 was flying 译为“(在……上空)飞过”,没有表现出过去进行时的这层含义。不难看出,这种用法的过去进行时提供了一个时间跨度。某个事件乃至整个故事,就是在这个时间跨度之内发生的。

[试译]不久以前,有一架飞机正在新西兰上空飞行……

下面的译文也是由于没有注意过去进行时的这一用法而发生了误译：

As he was returning to Washington, our armed forces across the world were put on alert.

[原译]总统回到华盛顿时，我们在全世界各地的武装力量都已处于戒备状态了。

原文中的 was returning 是过去进行时,表明动作在当时尚在进行,即(总统)尚未回到华盛顿。过去进行时 was returning 是为主句提供时间跨度的,而译文却说总统已经回到华盛顿了。

[试译]在总统回华盛顿的途中……或：总统尚未回到华盛顿……①

"Now, naturally, our concern is the Japanese. In theory, there should be no battle problem here. We're so much stronger than Japan in military potential that any Jap move to start a war looks suicidal. So you hear civilians say we'll blow the little yellow bastards off the map in two weeks, and all that poppycock." Some of the young officers were smiling; their smiles faded... (Fontana Collins, 1978, p. 684) "现在，很自然，我们关心的是日本人。在理论

上，这里不应该有战争的问题。在军事力量上我们比日本强得多，任何日本人要发动一场战争，看来就是自杀。所以我们听见老百姓说，两个星期我们就会把这些黄脸小个儿鬼子在地图上消灭掉之类的胡话。”有些年轻军官笑了笑，就不笑了……（见人民文学出版社出版的中译本，1979，第三册，p.903）（引自《英语语法札记》，p.74）

正像薄冰教授所指出的，“这里的 were smiling... 所持续的时间与华伦讲话所持续的时间相同。”这就是说过去进行时 were smiling 为 their smiles faded 提供了背景或时间跨度：一些青年军官本来还在笑，这时突然收敛了笑容。②

past continuous tense⁴

为前面的事件提供背景

问

I was doing some exercises on the high-and-low bars. When I landed, I fell forward and hurt myself. Someone was standing too close and I knocked into him and fell over onto my shoulder.

请分析后一个过去进行时 was standing 的用法。

答

过去进行时常常为后面的事件或故事提供背景,这一点我们在 past continuous tense $^{3}$ 中已经讲过了。但是,我们应进一步了解,过去进行时也可以为前面事件或故事提供背景或时间跨度。在你所提问的句子里,Someone was standing too close ... 是为前面的事件 I fell forward and hurt myself. 提供背景的。下面是类似的句子:

I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said. I was looking at the picture. 对不起,我没有听见你说什么。刚才我看那张画来着。
——Hey, look where you are going! ——Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't noticing. (全国高考,99-24) ——喂,你往哪里走呀! ——噢,实在对不起。我没注意。
I don't think Jim saw me; he was just staring into space. (同上,95-39) 我想吉姆没有看到我；他当时正在凝视着天空。
“Be careful! Don't throw your cigarette out of the window. If you do that, you may start a fire. Put it out in the ashtray.” “Sorry. I wasn't thinking.” “当心！不要把烟头扔出窗外，如果扔出去，会引起火灾的。把它熄灭在烟灰缸里。”“对不起，我没想到。”

past continuous tense⁵

过去正在进行 + 未完成

问

Shirley ____ a book about China last year but I don't know whether she has finished it. A. has written B. wrote C. had written D. was writing(全国高考,98-20)

答案为 D。但是,我不明白为什么不可选 B。句中不是有可以与过去时连用的时间状语 last year 吗?

答

如果没有后面的but分句,那么使用一般过去时或过去进行时都是正确的:

Shirley wrote/was writing about China last year.

但是,有了后面的 but 分句,就必须使用过去进行时 was writing。为什么呢?因为过去进行时除了“(过去)动作正在进行”之外,还常常会有“动作未完成”的含义。正是这一含义才与 but I don't know whether she has finished it 分句的含义相吻合。

练习

past continuous tense $^{6}$ 1106

What ____ at nine o'clock that morning?
1. A
  are you doing
2. B
  did you do
3. C
  were you doing
4. D
  had you done

past continuous tense⁶

表示过去将来

问

——What were you doing when he came to see you? ——I had just put on my overcoat and ____ to visit a friend of mine.

A. leaving B. was left C. left D. was leaving(上海高考)

答案为 D。请问过去进行时 was leaving 是否表示“正在离开”或者“正在途中”？

答

某些动词,特别是表示位置移动的动词,如 leave, come, go, start, get 的现在进行时可以表示“将来”。与此相类似,其过去进行时,可以表示“过去将来”。上句中的 was leaving 意为“将要离开”。注意:过去进行时表示过去将来,具有“计划性”“安排性”等含义。

They were getting married the following spring. 他们订于下一年春天结婚。
He was departing the next month. 他决定下个月离开。
He told her that he was leaving soon. 他告诉她他不久就要走了。
I was meeting him ... the next day. 我第二天要……去接他。

[参见come $^{11}$ ，leave(v.) $^{2}$ ，present continuous tense $^{4,5}$ ]

past continuous tense⁷

过去进行时与一般过去时的区别

问

（1）The reporter said that the UFO ____ east to west when he saw it. A. was travelling B. travelled C. had been travelling D. was to travel(全国高考,00-25)

(2) Mike ____ TV at 8:00 last night. How could you see him in the lab at that moment? A. watched B. watches C. is watching D. was watching(北京会考,96-17)

以上二题都有两个近似的选项:过去进行时(was travelling, was watching)(答案)和一般过去时(travelled, watched)(错误选项)。我承认书上给的答案是正确的。但是,我不能理解,为什么用一般过去时就是错误的。

答

一般过去时表示过去发生过的动作或存在过的情况,往往具有完成性,而过去进行时表示在某个过去时间里正在发生的动作或存在的情况,往往具有持续性和未完成性。

I was watching TV at ten o'clock yesterday evening. 我昨天晚上 10 点钟正在看电视。（在过去的某个时间正在进行的动作）
Mary read a book yesterday. 玛丽昨天读了一本书。(读完了整本书)
Mary was reading a book yesterday. 玛丽昨天在阅读一本书。(含有尚未读完的意思)

当过去进行时与一般过去时连用时，它表示一个历时较长的动作或情况，一般过去时所表示的动作或情况便是在它所提供的时间背景或时间跨度内进行的。以上面的两道试题为例：试题(1)的(when he) saw it 便是在(the UFO) was travelling 所提供的时间跨度内发生的；同样，试题(2)的(How) could you see 也是在(Mike) was watching 所提供的时间跨度内发生的。在这种用法中，过去进行时历时较长，而一般过去时历时较短。这与它们独立使用时的情况恰好相反：过去进行时表示“短暂性”，而一般过去时表示“长久性”。类例：

Just as he was speaking there was a loud explosion. 正当他发表演说的时候,发生了猛烈的爆炸。
The phone rang while I was having dinner. 我正在吃饭的时候,电话响了。
He did very well and sailed with the navy to Canada, where the war with the French was also being fought. 他干得很出色，后来，随海军到了加拿大。当时英国在加拿大也正在同法国打仗。

past continuous tense⁸

表示未实现的计划、希望见 plan(v.)², is going/was going