Appearance
Unit 6 — Past Continuous
I was doing — 过去进行时
1. 核心结构
过去进行时的基本结构：
was / were + V-ing
| 主语 | be 动词过去式 | V-ing |
|---|---|---|
| he / she / it | was | playing / doing / working ... |
| I | was | playing / doing / working ... |
| we / you / they | were | playing / doing / working ... |
例如：
I was working.
She was reading.
They were playing tennis.
2. Example — They were playing tennis
昨天 Karen 和 Joe 去打网球。
Yesterday Karen and Joe played tennis.
他们：
started at 10 o'clock
10 点开始。
并且：
finished at 11:30
11:30 结束。
那么在：
10:30
这个时间点：
They were playing tennis.
他们当时正在打网球。
3. were playing 到底是什么意思？
They were playing tennis.
意思是：
在那个过去时间点，他们正处在“打网球”这个动作的中间。
也就是：
they were in the middle of playing
并且：
they had not finished
当时还没有结束。
时间轴：
10:00 10:30 11:30
│ │ │
●════════════════●═══════════════════●
started were playing finished
10:30：
不是动作开始的时候
也不是：
动作结束的时候
而是：
动作进行到一半的时候。
4. Past Continuous 的核心概念
I was doing something
表示：
在过去某个时间点，我正处于做某件事的过程中。
时间关系：
PAST
│
●────── START
═════════════════════
↑
I was doing
═════════════════════
● FINISH
NOW
│
核心：
past point → look inside the action
站在一个过去时间点：
看这个动作当时进行到哪里了。
5. 时间轴理解
图片中的时间轴可以整理成：
PAST NOW
│ │
↓ started doing
●══════════════════════════════●
↑ ↑ ↑
I was doing
↑
finished doing
也就是：
开始 → 正在进行 → 结束
Past Continuous 关注的是：
中间这一段。
6. Example — living in Hong Kong
This time last year I was living in Hong Kong.
去年这个时候，我正住在香港。
这里的：
this time last year
给出了一个明确的：
过去时间点
然后我们问：
在那个时间点，我的生活状态是什么？
答案：
I was living in Hong Kong.
时间轴：
before THIS TIME LAST YEAR after
│ │ │
└════════════════════════════●════════════════════════─┘
was living
重点：
那个时候正处于住在香港的阶段。
7. Example — What were you doing?
What were you doing at 10 o'clock last night?
昨晚 10 点你正在做什么？
这里：
at 10 o'clock last night
就是一个：
过去观察点
问题实际上是：
我把时间暂停在昨晚 10 点，你当时正在干什么？
时间轴：
10 PM
↓
PAST ════════════════●══════════════
↑
What were you doing?
8. Example — wasn't looking
I waved to Helen, but she wasn't looking.
我向 Helen 挥手，但是她当时没有看这边。
这里不是说：
Helen 从来不看。
而是说：
在我挥手的那个时刻，她正好没有看。
时间关系：
I waved
↓
───────────────────●────────────────
│
she wasn't looking
所以：
wasn't looking
描述的是：
那个过去时刻的临时状态。
9. Past Continuous 的常见用法
| 用法 | Example | 核心理解 |
|---|---|---|
| 过去某一刻正在做 | I was working at 8. | 8 点时正在工作 |
| 过去某一阶段正在发生 | I was living in Hong Kong. | 那段时间住在香港 |
| 询问过去某刻的活动 | What were you doing at 10? | 10 点时在做什么 |
| 描述过去某刻没有发生 | She wasn't looking. | 当时没在看 |
10. Past Continuous vs Past Simple
这是这一单元最重要的对比。
Past Continuous
I was doing
核心：
in the middle of an action
关注：
动作进行到中间。
Past Simple
I did
核心：
complete action
关注：
一个完整发生的过去动作。
11. 核心对比表
| Past Continuous | Past Simple |
|---|---|
| I was doing | I did |
| 过去进行时 | 一般过去时 |
| was/were + V-ing | 动词过去式 |
| 动作进行中 | 完整动作 |
| 看动作内部 | 看整个动作 |
| process | event |
| “当时正在……” | “过去做了……” |
12. Example — walking home
Past Continuous
We were walking home when I met Dan.
我遇到 Dan 的时候，我们正在走回家。
这里：
walking home
是一个正在进行中的动作。
时间轴：
START walking FINISH
│ │
└══════════════●═══════════════════┘
↑
met Dan
在：
met Dan
这个时间点：
我们仍然在走路。
所以：
We were walking home.
13. 为什么用 were walking？
因为：
met Dan
发生在：
walking home 这个过程的中间。
结构：
long/background action
═════════════════════════════════
●
met Dan
short event
所以非常常见的组合是：
Past Continuous + when + Past Simple
例如：
I was driving when you called me.
你打电话的时候，我正在开车。
14. Example — walked home
Past Simple：
We walked home after the party last night.
昨晚聚会结束后我们走路回家了。
这里关注的是：
从开始走 → 一直到家
整个动作。
时间轴：
party ends walk home arrive home
│ │ │
└───────────────────●──────────────────┘
complete
所以：
walked
表示：
这个动作整体发生并完成了。
15. walking vs walked
| were walking | walked |
|---|---|
| We were walking home when I met Dan. | We walked home after the party. |
| 当时正在走 | 走回家了 |
| 动作内部 | 整个动作 |
| 不强调是否走到家 | 暗示完成整段路程 |
| process | complete event |
16. Example — watching TV
Past Continuous
Kate was watching TV when we arrived.
我们到的时候，Kate 正在看电视。
时间轴：
watching TV
═════════════════════════════════
●
we arrived
当：
we arrived
发生时：
Kate 正处在 watching TV 这个动作中。
Past Simple
Kate watched TV a lot when she was ill last year.
Kate 去年生病的时候看了很多电视。
这里不是关注某一刻：
“她正在看电视”
而是总结：
那段时间她经常看电视。
所以用：
watched
17. 两句话的视角不同
| Sentence | 视角 |
|---|---|
| Kate was watching TV when we arrived. | 把时间暂停在“我们到达”的那一刻 |
| Kate watched TV a lot when she was ill. | 回头总结那段过去经历 |
所以：
Past Continuous = zoom in
放大某个过去时刻。
Past Simple = zoom out
回头看一个完整事件或事实。
18. 一个非常实用的理解方法：电影画面
Past Continuous 很像：
把过去的录像暂停在某一帧。
例如：
At 10:30 they were playing tennis.
你把录像暂停在：
10:30
画面里：
他们正在挥拍、跑动、打球。
这就是：
were playing
Past Simple 更像：
看完整事件的摘要。
例如：
They played tennis yesterday.
它告诉你：
昨天发生了“打网球”这件事。
但是并没有让你进入某一个具体时刻。
19. Past Continuous = Background
过去进行时经常用来提供：
background（背景动作）
例如：
I was walking home when it started to rain.
下雨的时候，我正在走路回家。
这里：
was walking
是背景。
而：
started to rain
是突然发生的事件。
结构：
BACKGROUND
═══════════════════════════════════
●
EVENT happens
20. 常见句型
① when + Past Simple
I was sleeping when the phone rang.
电话响的时候我正在睡觉。
② while + Past Continuous
While I was cooking, Tom was watching TV.
我做饭的时候，Tom 正在看电视。
两个动作：
cooking ═════════════════════
watching ═════════════════════
同时进行。
③ at + 具体过去时间
At 8 o'clock, I was having breakfast.
8 点的时候我正在吃早餐。
21. 否定形式
结构：
was not / were not + V-ing
缩写：
wasn't / weren't + V-ing
例如：
She wasn't looking.
她当时没在看。
They weren't working.
他们当时没有在工作。
22. 疑问形式
结构：
Was / Were + 主语 + V-ing?
例如：
Were you sleeping at 11?
你 11 点的时候正在睡觉吗？
Was she working yesterday afternoon?
她昨天下午当时在工作吗？
23. How to think
看到过去进行时，可以问自己：
“如果我把过去的时间暂停在这一刻，画面里正在发生什么？”
例如：
What were you doing at 10?
把时间暂停：
9:00 10:00 11:00
│ ↓ │
══════════════●═════════════════
studying
回答：
I was studying.
24. Past Simple 则问
“过去发生了什么完整事件？”
例如：
What did you do last night?
回答：
I studied English.
这里是在总结：
昨晚做了什么。
不是：
某一时刻正在做什么。
25. 两种问题直接对比
| Question | 中文思维 | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| What were you doing at 10? | 10 点那一刻正在干什么？ | I was studying. |
| What did you do last night? | 昨晚做了什么？ | I studied English. |
26. 图片中的全部例句
| Example | 核心理解 |
|---|---|
| At 10:30 they were playing tennis. | 10:30 时动作进行中 |
| This time last year I was living in Hong Kong. | 去年此时处于这个生活阶段 |
| What were you doing at 10 o'clock last night? | 问过去某一刻的活动 |
| She wasn't looking. | 那一刻没有在看 |
| We were walking home when I met Dan. | met Dan 发生在 walking 过程中 |
| Kate was watching TV when we arrived. | arrival 发生在 watching 过程中 |
| We walked home after the party. | 整个走回家的动作 |
| Kate watched TV a lot when she was ill. | 总结过去的习惯/事实 |
27. 最核心的时间轴
Past Continuous
I was doing
START PAST POINT FINISH
│ ↓ │
└═════════════════════●══════════════════════┘
DOING
重点：
某个过去时间点，动作正在进行。
Past Simple
I did
START ───────────────▶ FINISH NOW
│ │
● │
重点：
整个动作作为一个完整事件。
28. 和 Present Continuous 对比
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
|---|---|
| I am doing | I was doing |
| 现在正在做 | 过去当时正在做 |
| NOW 是观察点 | PAST 是观察点 |
Present Continuous
NOW
↓
I am doing
Past Continuous
PAST NOW
↓ │
I was doing │
所以：
Continuous 的核心一直没有变。
都是：
把镜头放到动作内部。
区别只是：
- Present Continuous → 镜头放在 NOW
- Past Continuous → 镜头放在 PAST
29. 最终思维模型
Past Continuous
PAST + PROCESS
问：
那个时候正在发生什么？
时间轴：
PAST
│
↓
──●════════════════════
↑
camera
镜头进入动作内部
结构：
was / were + V-ing
Past Simple
PAST + EVENT
问：
过去发生了什么？
时间轴：
PAST
│
●
EVENT
结构：
did / 动词过去式
一句话记忆
Past Continuous
I was doing = 把过去暂停在某一刻，看当时正在做什么。
Past Simple
I did = 回头看过去发生了一个什么完整事件。
最核心：
was doing → PROCESS
did → EVENT