Using the Past Tenses Correctly 正確使用過去式
There are two past tenses which may cause confusion for students. These are the simple past tense and the past continuous tense. For students who have reached a reasonable standard, the use of these two tenses will not cause any trouble. For those who are weak at tenses, practice is badly needed to tackle this aspect. 有兩種過去式可能會使學生感到困惑。它們是簡單過去式和過去進行式。對於已經達到合理水平的學生來說，使用這兩個時態不會造成任何麻煩。對於那些對使用時態基礎薄弱的學生來說，解決這方面的問題極之需要練習。
Can you complete the following story using the correct tense in each blank? 你能在每個空白處使用正確的時態完成下面的故事嗎?
I ____ (1. wait) for the bus when it ____ (2. start) to rain. It was a time that many workers ____ (3. finish) their work and ____ (4. leave) the office. Many people ____ (5. queue) up for buses at the bus stop. The sudden downpour ____ (6. cause) chaos to the traffic. I saw that the vehicles in our section ____ (7. move) sluggishly and there were no buses in sight.
I ____ (8. wonder) how long it would take me to get home when a car ____ (9. stop) near the bus stop. A woman driver ____ (10. lean) towards the passenger seat and waved at the waiting passengers. I was curious and turned my head. No one ____ (11. make) any responses. Then the woman ____ (12. lower) the window and shouted. I was stunned. It was my name. I ____ (13. bend) down and had a better look. The woman ____ (14. wave) at me. I stared at her and ____ (15. recognise) her face. She was my neighbour.
‘Get in,’ she said. ‘It is hard to get on the bus on a rainy day. I’ll give you a lift.’
開始下雨時，我正在等巴士。那是許多工人放工並離開寫字樓的時候。很多人在巴士站排隊等車。突如其來的傾盆大雨給交通造成了混亂。只見我們路段上的車輛行駛緩慢，看不到一輛巴士。
正當我想知道需要多長時間才能回家，一輛汽車停在巴士站附近。一位女性司機靠在副駕駛座上，向候車的乘客揮手。我很好奇，轉過頭。沒有人做出任何回應。然後女人放下車窗喊道。我驚呆了。那是我的名字。為了看得更清楚，我彎下腰。那個女人向我招手。我打量著她，認出了她的臉。她是我的鄰居。
‘進來吧，’ 她說。‘下雨天很難上車。我送你一程。’
Grammar Notes 文法筆記 Both the simple past tense and the past continuous tense are used to describe past actions or events. The simple past tense usually refers to short actions while the past continuous tense refers to longer actions which were going on in the past. 簡單過去式和過去進行式都用於描述過去的動作或事件。簡單過去式通常指的是短動作，而過去進行式指的是過去正在進行較長的動作。 The simple past tense 簡單過去式 The simple past tense is used to talk about actions that took place at a specific time in the past. Often the actions were finished. 簡單過去式用於談論過去特定時間發生的動作。通常這些動作已經完成。 • When I opened the door, I saw the postman standing in front of me. • He called and said that he couldn’t attend the party. The past continuous tense 過去進行式 The past continuous tense is used to show actions that were going on at a certain time in the past. 過去進行式用於表示過去某個時間正在進行的動作。 • He was still sleeping when I left for work. • The boys were playing football when I walked past the pitch. In some cases, both tenses can be used but the emphasis is different. 在某些情況下，兩種時態都可以使用，但強調重點不同。The simple past tense emphasises that the action was completed while the past continuous tense emphasises that the action was in progress. 簡單過去式強調動作已經完成，過去進行式強調動作正在進行中。 • He did not pay attention in class. • He was not paying attention in class. • The firemen lifted up the car and the paramedics tried their best to save the injured. • The firemen were lifting up the car and the paramedics were trying their best to save the injured. The answer 答案 1. was waiting 2. started 3. finished 4. left 5. were queueing 6. caused 7. were moving
8. was wondering
9. stopped
10. leaned
11. was making
12. lowered
13. bent
14. was waving
15. recognised
These two tenses are often used with the following conjunctions - when, while, as. Study how they are used. The simple past tense can be used instead of the past continuous when the conjunction is ‘as’. 這兩個時態通常與以下連接詞一起使用 - when, while, as。學習如何使用它們。當連接詞為 ‘as’ 時，可以使用簡單過去式代替過去進行式。
• While I was walking back to my office, I saw an accident.
• I was walking back to my office when I saw an accident.
• As I walked back to my office, I saw an accident.
• He slipped while he was running for the bus.
• He was running for the bus when he slipped.
• He slipped as he ran for the bus.