Past Continuous — время фона. Оно показывает, что происходило в прошлом в некоторый момент, и почти всегда работает в связке с Past Simple.
Формула
was / were + глагол-ing
| Лицо | Форма | Пример |
|---|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | was | I was watching TV |
| you / we / they | were | They were playing outside |
Когда используется
1. Процесс в конкретный момент прошлого. At 7 o’clock yesterday I was having dinner.
2. Длинное действие, прерванное коротким. I was reading when the phone rang. Длинное — в Continuous, короткое — в Simple.
3. Два параллельных процесса. While I was cooking, my brother was doing his homework.
4. Фон для рассказа. It was raining. The wind was blowing. Nobody was walking in the street. Этим приёмом начинают истории — он сразу создаёт атмосферу.
Связка с Past Simple
Самая частая конструкция всей темы:
| Схема | Пример |
|---|---|
| was/were + Ving when + Past Simple | I was sleeping when he called |
| While + was/were + Ving, Past Simple | While she was walking, she met a friend |
Запомните распределение: while — с длительным, when — с коротким.
Отрицание и вопрос
- Отрицание: I was not (wasn’t) listening.
- Вопрос: Were you waiting for me?
- Специальный вопрос: What were you doing at 5 pm?
Маркеры
at 5 o’clock yesterday, at that moment, all day yesterday, from 3 to 5, while, when.
Типичные ошибки
| Ошибка | Правильно |
|---|---|
| I was read a book | I was reading a book |
| They was playing | They were playing |
| I was knowing the answer | I knew the answer |
| While I cooked, he was watching TV | While I was cooking, he was watching TV |
Где пригодится
В любом рассказе о случившемся: «как я провёл лето», описание происшествия, пересказ фильма. Фраза I was walking home when I saw… — универсальное начало школьной истории.
Дальше: Past Simple, времена английского, раздел грамматики.