过去进行时

过去进行时（past continuous，也叫 past progressive）描述过去某一时刻正在进行的动作。它能营造出一种持续感、背景感和氛围，这是单用一般过去时做不到的。

过去进行时怎么构成

过去进行时用 was/were + 主要动词的 -ing 形式（现在分词）。

主语	助动词	主要动词（-ing）	例句
I / He / She / It	was	working	I was working late.
You / We / They	were	working	They were working late.

否定形式

在 was/were 后面加 not：

• I was not (wasn't) listening to the lecture.
• They were not (weren't) paying attention.

疑问形式

把主语和 was/were 调换位置：

• Was she studying when you called?
• Were they waiting for the results?

什么时候用过去进行时

1. 交代背景、铺设场景

过去进行时是叙事中交代背景的关键。它告诉读者：主要事件发生时，已经在进行的是什么：

• The sun was setting over the harbor. Seagulls were circling overhead. A small boat was approaching the dock.

注意过去进行时是怎样勾勒出一个生动场景的——像主要动作开始前，镜头缓缓扫过一片风景。

2. 被打断的动作

过去进行时最重要的用法之一，是表示某个动作正在进行时被另一个动作打断。持续较长的背景动作用过去进行时，较短的打断动作用一般过去时：

• I was writing my essay when the power went out.
• She was presenting her research when someone asked a difficult question.
• They were discussing the budget when the CEO walked in.

句式： 过去进行时 + when + 一般过去时

3. 同时进行的动作

用过去进行时表示两个或多个动作同时发生：

• While the professor was lecturing, the students were taking notes.
• She was reviewing the data while her colleague was preparing the slides.
• One team was testing the software while another was writing documentation.

句式： While + 过去进行时，过去进行时

4. 过去的临时状态

过去进行时可以表示某事是临时的，或正处在变化之中：

• In 2023, the company was expanding rapidly.
• At that time, housing prices were rising across the region.
• The political climate was shifting in favor of reform.

5. 反复发生或令人恼火的行为（与 always 连用）

与 always、constantly 或 forever 连用时，过去进行时表达恼火或频繁：

• He was always losing his keys.
• The printer was constantly jamming during the busiest periods.

While 与 When

这两个词常被弄混，但在过去时的句子里，它们标示的东西不同：

词	后面通常接	作用
while	过去进行时	引出持续较长的背景动作
when	一般过去时	引出较短的、起打断作用的动作

例句：

• While I was walking home, it started to rain.
• I was walking home when it started to rain.

两句描述的是同一个情景，但结构不同：

• While 引出的是持续进行的动作（过去进行时）。
• When 引出的是突然发生的事件（一般过去时）。

那 when 能接过去进行时吗？ 偶尔可以，但不常见，而且可能读着别扭。正式写作中为求清晰，还是用标准句式为好。

写作提示： 在学术和职业写作中，过去进行时要用得克制、有目的。它最擅长提供背景或形成对照，而不适合用来叙述主要事件。

一般过去时与过去进行时的关键区别

特征	一般过去时	过去进行时
动作性质	已完成、已结束	正在进行，在参照时刻尚未结束
持续性	强调完成	强调持续
叙事角色	主要事件	背景、场景
标志词	yesterday, ago, last...	while, when, at that moment

对比：

• I read three chapters last night.（完成了——三章都读完了。）

• I was reading at 10 p.m. last night.（正在进行——那一刻这个动作还在继续。）

• She wrote the report.（已完成的动作。）

• She was writing the report when I arrived.（正在进行；我到的时候还没写完。）

状态动词：一个提醒

有些动词很少用于进行体，因为它们描述的是状态而非动作：

类别	例词
心理状态	know, believe, understand, remember, forget
情感	love, hate, prefer, want, need
感官	see, hear, smell, taste（非主动的感知）
所属	have, own, belong, possess
其他	be, seem, appear, cost, contain

• 错误：I was knowing the answer.

• 正确：I knew the answer.

• 错误：She was wanting to leave.

• 正确：She wanted to leave.

例外： 有些状态动词在含义转为动作义时可以用进行体。"I was having dinner"（having ＝ 吃，是动作）是对的，而 "I was having a car"（having ＝ 拥有）则不对。

需要避开的常见错误

1. 用过去进行时叙述已完成的主要事件：

   • 错误：Yesterday I was going to the store and was buying milk.
   • 正确：Yesterday I went to the store and bought milk.

2. 混淆 while 和 when：

   • 别扭：When I was working, the phone was ringing.
   • 更好：While I was working, the phone rang.

3. 过度使用过去进行时：

   • 在学术写作中，过去进行时应当为叙事服务，而不是喧宾夺主。把它留给真正的背景动作。

过去完成时与过去完成进行时

这两种时态让你能谈论发生在另一个过去事件之前的事。它们制造出清晰的时间纵深，表明某个动作在第二个过去动作发生之前就已完成（或正在进行）。掌握这两种时态，对学术写作、叙事，以及任何需要理清过去事件先后顺序的场合都很关键。

第一部分：过去完成时

构成

过去完成时对所有主语都用 had + 过去分词：

主语	形式	例句
I / You / He / She / It / We / They	had + 过去分词	She had finished the report.

否定： had not (hadn't) + 过去分词

• They hadn't received the invitation.

疑问： Had + 主语 + 过去分词

• Had you seen the email before the meeting?

什么时候用过去完成时

1. 在另一个过去动作之前完成的动作

这是它的核心用法。过去完成时标明哪个动作先发生：

• By the time the professor arrived, the students had already left.
• She realized she had forgotten her notes at home.
• The company announced the results after the board had approved them.

时间线示意：

[had left] ---------> [arrived] ---------> NOW
(earlier past)        (later past)         (present)

过去完成时（had left）标记较早的事件，一般过去时（arrived）标记较晚的事件。

2. 间接引语与想法转述

转述某人就更早的事所说或所想时，用过去完成时：

• He said that he had completed the assignment.
• She told me she had never been to that city before.
• The manager explained that the team had already addressed the issue.

3. 第三类条件句（与过去事实相反）

过去完成时出现在设想过去情形的条件句中：

• If I had known about the deadline, I would have submitted earlier.
• She would have accepted the offer if they had contacted her sooner.

4. 与时间表达连用

过去完成时常见的时间表达：

表达	例句
by the time	By the time we arrived, the show had started.
before	She had reviewed the document before the meeting began.
after	After he had eaten, he went for a walk.
already	They had already decided when I called.
never...before	I had never seen anything like it before.
just	She had just left when the phone rang.
until then	Until then, no one had questioned the method.

什么时候可以不用过去完成时

如果事件的先后顺序已经由上下文，或由 before、after 这类词交代清楚，只用一般过去时也可以：

• After she graduated（或：had graduated），she moved abroad.
• Before I left（或：had left），I checked the locks.

不过，过去完成时能增加清晰度和精确度，在较长或较复杂的句子里尤其如此。学术写作中，凡需要明确时间顺序的地方，一般更推荐用它。

第二部分：过去完成进行时

构成

过去完成进行时用 had been + -ing 形式（现在分词）：

主语	形式	例句
所有主语	had been + -ing	She had been working for three hours.

否定： had not (hadn't) been + -ing

• They hadn't been waiting long.

疑问： Had + 主语 + been + -ing

• Had you been studying before the test?

什么时候用过去完成进行时

1. 某个过去事件之前，活动已持续了多久

过去完成进行时强调的是：在另一个过去事件发生之前，某事已经持续了多长时间：

• She had been teaching for twenty years before she retired.
• They had been negotiating the contract for months when the deal finally closed.
• By the time the ambulance arrived, the patient had been waiting for over an hour.

2. 解释过去某种状况的成因

用它说明过去某一时刻为什么会是那样：

• Her eyes were red because she had been crying.
• The ground was wet because it had been raining all morning.
• He was exhausted because he had been working without a break.

3. 某个过去事件之前一段时间内反复发生的动作

• The journalist had been investigating the story for weeks before publishing it.
• They had been meeting regularly until the project was canceled.

过去完成时与过去完成进行时

特征	过去完成时	过去完成进行时
着眼点	动作的完成	动作的持续时间或过程
构成	had + 过去分词	had been + -ing
强调	结果	动作本身

对比：

• She had written three chapters before the deadline.（重点：已完成的结果——写完了三章。）

• She had been writing for five hours before the deadline.（重点：这项活动持续了多久。）

• He had read the book.（已完成：他读完了。）

• He had been reading the book.（正在进行：他读了一部分。）

提示： 如果句中出现具体的数量或次数（three reports、five emails、two chapters），用过去完成时；如果出现的是一段时长（for hours、since morning、all day），通常用过去完成进行时更好。

需要避开的常见错误

1. 一般过去时够用时却用了过去完成时：

   • 多余：I had woken up and had eaten breakfast.
   • 更好：I woke up and ate breakfast.（不用过去完成时，顺序也很清楚。）

2. 状态动词用在过去完成进行时里：

   • 错误：She had been knowing the answer all along.
   • 正确：She had known the answer all along.

3. 缺少过去的参照点： 过去完成时只有在存在第二个过去事件作锚点时才讲得通。没有这个锚点，就用一般过去时：

   • 不清楚：I had visited Paris.（在什么之前？）
   • 清楚：I had visited Paris before I moved to London.

4. 过度使用过去完成时： 并非每个过去事件都需要过去完成时。只在两个过去事件的时间关系确实需要点明时才用它。用得过多会让文字显得笨重、过分正式。

练习：辨认其中的差别

读下面每个句子，想一想为什么用这个时态：

1. "By 2020, the organization had trained over 5,000 volunteers."（过去完成时：在某个参照时点之前完成的总数。）
2. "The team had been developing the app for two years when funding was cut."（过去完成进行时：被打断之前，某个过程已持续的时间。）
3. "She said she had already submitted the application."（间接引语中的过去完成时：提交发生在说话之前。）
4. "His hands were shaking because he had been presenting for over an hour."（过去完成进行时：造成可见结果的原因。）

叙事时态的实际运用

出色的写作很少只用一种过去时态。有力的叙事、学术分析和职业报告，都会把一般过去时、过去进行时、过去完成时和过去完成进行时糅合起来，以营造纵深、清晰和流畅。本节讲的是如何在不同写作场景中娴熟地组合这些时态。

各时态在叙事中的角色

可以把过去时态看作承担着不同的叙事职能：

时态	叙事角色	类比
一般过去时	主要事件，故事的主干	情节
过去进行时	背景、氛围、场景	布景
过去完成时	更早的事件，前情	闪回
过去完成进行时	更早时期持续的活动、成因	前情集锦

例一：个人叙事

下面是一段简短的叙事。先读一遍，再看后面的分析。

The morning sun was streaming through the windows as I walked into the exam hall. My heart was pounding. I had studied for weeks, but I had been struggling with the final chapter. I sat down, opened the paper, and scanned the questions. To my relief, the first question covered material I had reviewed the night before. I picked up my pen and began to write.

分析：

分句	时态	原因
The morning sun was streaming	过去进行时	铺设场景——背景氛围
I walked into the exam hall	一般过去时	主要动作——推动故事前进
My heart was pounding	过去进行时	背景性的身体状态
I had studied for weeks	过去完成时	前情——发生在考试之前
I had been struggling with the final chapter	过去完成进行时	更早时期持续的活动，解释了焦虑从何而来
I sat down, opened the paper, scanned the questions	一般过去时（三处）	一连串的主要事件
the first question covered material	一般过去时	主要事件
I had reviewed the night before	过去完成时	更早的动作——复习发生在考试之前
I picked up my pen and began to write	一般过去时	收尾的主要动作

要点： 一般过去时推动叙事前进，过去进行时提供氛围，过去完成时和过去完成进行时则通过指向更早的事件带来纵深。

例二：学术写作

学术写作用过去时态来报告研究发现、描述历史事件、综述文献。时态的选择标示着精确的时间关系。

Smith (2019) conducted a longitudinal study of urban migration patterns. The study examined data that had been collected over a fifteen-year period. At the time the research began, several earlier studies had already demonstrated a correlation between housing costs and migration. However, no previous researcher had investigated the role of remote work policies, which were transforming the labor market during the study period. Smith found that remote work opportunities had significantly altered traditional migration patterns by 2018.

分析：

分句	时态	原因
Smith conducted a study	一般过去时	报告一项已完成的研究行为
data that had been collected	过去完成时（被动）	数据收集发生在这项研究之前
several studies had already demonstrated	过去完成时	先前的研究，在 Smith 的工作之前就已完成
no previous researcher had investigated	过去完成时	已有文献中的空白
which were transforming the labor market	过去进行时	研究期间正在发生的变化
Smith found that...	一般过去时	报告研究发现
remote work had significantly altered patterns by 2018	过去完成时	这一改变发生在研究结束之前

要点： 在学术写作中，过去完成时对于区分「研究中发生了什么」和「研究之前就已经发生了什么」至关重要。过去进行时则可以描述研究期间正在演变的状况。

例三：商务报告

商务写作要求时间线清晰，在汇报项目、决策和结果时尤其如此。

By Q3 2024, the marketing team had launched three campaigns targeting the European market. The team had been working on the strategy since January and had already exceeded their lead generation targets. During Q3, while the digital team was optimizing ad spend, the content team was developing a new brand voice guide. In September, the VP of Marketing reviewed the quarterly results and decided to increase the budget. She noted that engagement metrics had improved by 40% compared to Q1.

分析：

分句	时态	原因
the team had launched three campaigns	过去完成时	在 Q3 这个参照时点之前已完成
The team had been working since January	过去完成进行时	Q3 之前活动已持续的时间
had already exceeded targets	过去完成时	在 Q3 之前已达成的成果
the digital team was optimizing	过去进行时	Q3 期间同时进行的活动
the content team was developing	过去进行时	Q3 期间另一项同时进行的活动
the VP reviewed and decided	一般过去时	叙事中的主要事件
She noted that metrics had improved	过去完成时	改善发生在「指出」这个动作之前

要点： 在商务报告中，过去完成时用来交代某个汇报周期之前已经完成了什么，过去进行时描述该周期内正在进行的活动，一般过去时则叙述关键决策与事件。

组合过去时态的几条准则

1. 把一般过去时当作默认选择

一般过去时应当是你使用频率最高的过去时态。它承载主要事件，让文字清晰直接。只有在有明确理由时，才切换到别的时态。

2. 用过去进行时营造氛围与语境

在下列情况插入过去进行时的分句：

• 在主要动作开始前铺设场景
• 交代背景中正在发生的事
• 描述同时进行的多项活动

3. 用过去完成时把时间往前推

需要做下面这些事时，用过去完成时：

• 提及发生在主要过去事件之前的事
• 转述某人关于更早事件的说法
• 在两个过去事件之间建立因果关系

4. 用过去完成进行时表达某个过去事件之前的持续时间

把过去完成进行时留给这些场合：

• 你想强调某项活动已经持续了多久
• 你想解释过去某种状态的成因

5. 不要无缘无故地切换时态

每一次时态变化，都应当由时间框架的改变或信息性质的改变来驱动。随意在时态之间跳来跳去会让读者困惑。

有问题的写法：

The team was working on the project. They submitted the first draft. The client had been reviewing it.

改进后：

The team had been working on the project for two months when they submitted the first draft. The client was reviewing it by end of day.

6. 把自己写的读出声

写完一段时态混用的文字后，读出声来。如果哪一次时态切换听着突兀、说不出理由，就重新考虑那个分句该用什么时态。

练习：辨认时态规律

读下面这段文字，判断每个分句用了哪种时态，以及为什么：

The researchers had been collecting data for six months when they noticed an unexpected pattern. Several participants who had reported high stress levels were showing improvements that contradicted the initial hypothesis. The team decided to extend the study. They had not anticipated this outcome, and it required a revised methodology.

答案：

• had been collecting —— 过去完成进行时：发现之前已持续的时间。
• noticed —— 一般过去时：主要事件。
• had reported —— 过去完成时：上报发生在这些改善之前。
• were showing —— 过去进行时：观察期间正在持续的趋势。
• contradicted —— 一般过去时：说明这些改善的性质。
• decided —— 一般过去时：主要事件。
• had not anticipated —— 过去完成时：「没有预料到」先于这个决定。
• required —— 一般过去时：陈述随之而来的结果。

过去时速查手册

本节可以当作速查资料使用，汇总了本模块讲到的四种过去时态的构成、用法、标志词和常见陷阱。

完整对照表

特征	一般过去时	过去进行时	过去完成时	过去完成进行时
构成（肯定）	verb-ed / 不规则变化	was/were + -ing	had + 过去分词	had been + -ing
构成（否定）	didn't + 原形	wasn't/weren't + -ing	hadn't + 过去分词	hadn't been + -ing
构成（疑问）	Did + 主语 + 原形？	Was/Were + 主语 + -ing？	Had + 主语 + 过去分词？	Had + 主语 + been + -ing？
着眼点	已完成的动作	正在进行的动作	更早完成的动作	更早动作的持续时间
时间范围	过去某个具体时间	过去的某一刻或某段时间	另一个过去事件之前	另一个过去事件之前的一段时间
叙事角色	主要事件	背景／场景	前情／闪回	延续较久的前情

各时态的标志词

一般过去时

标志词	例句
yesterday	We met yesterday.
last week/month/year	She traveled last summer.
... ago	The project ended three months ago.
in + 过去的年份	The law passed in 2015.
on + 过去的日期	He resigned on March 5th.
when（+ 过去事件）	When I arrived, everyone was there.
then, after that, next	He read the email. Then he called his manager.

过去进行时

标志词	例句
while	While I was reading, it started to rain.
when（表示打断）	I was cooking when the alarm went off.
at that time/moment	At that moment, she was considering her options.
all day/morning/evening	It was raining all morning.
as	As the sun was setting, we headed home.

过去完成时

标志词	例句
by the time	By the time I arrived, they had left.
before	She had finished the work before the deadline.
after	After he had eaten, he went out.
already	We had already heard the news.
just	She had just started when the power failed.
never ... before	I had never seen such a thing before.
until then	Until then, they had not considered the option.

过去完成进行时

标志词	例句
for + 时长	She had been waiting for two hours.
since + 起点	They had been working since 6 a.m.
all day/week/month	It had been snowing all day before we left.
how long	How long had you been studying before the test?

常用不规则动词完整表

下表收录最常用的不规则动词。其中「过去分词」一栏对完成时态尤为重要。

原形	一般过去时	过去分词
be	was/were	been
beat	beat	beaten
become	became	become
begin	began	begun
bite	bit	bitten
blow	blew	blown
break	broke	broken
bring	brought	brought
build	built	built
buy	bought	bought
catch	caught	caught
choose	chose	chosen
come	came	come
cost	cost	cost
cut	cut	cut
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feed	fed	fed
feel	felt	felt
fight	fought	fought
find	found	found
fly	flew	flown
forget	forgot	forgotten
forgive	forgave	forgiven
freeze	froze	frozen
get	got	got/gotten
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grow	grew	grown
have	had	had
hear	heard	heard
hide	hid	hidden
hit	hit	hit
hold	held	held
hurt	hurt	hurt
keep	kept	kept
know	knew	known
lay	laid	laid
lead	led	led
leave	left	left
lend	lent	lent
let	let	let
lie	lay	lain
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
mean	meant	meant
meet	met	met
pay	paid	paid
put	put	put
read	read	read
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
sell	sold	sold
send	sent	sent
set	set	set
shake	shook	shaken
shine	shone	shone
show	showed	shown
shut	shut	shut
sing	sang	sung
sit	sat	sat
sleep	slept	slept
speak	spoke	spoken
spend	spent	spent
stand	stood	stood
steal	stole	stolen
stick	stuck	stuck
strike	struck	struck
swim	swam	swum
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
tear	tore	torn
tell	told	told
think	thought	thought
throw	threw	thrown
understand	understood	understood
wake	woke	woken
wear	wore	worn
win	won	won
write	wrote	written

常见错误速查

错误 1：在 Did/Didn't 后面用了过去式

• 错误：Did you went to the meeting?
• 正确：Did you go to the meeting?
• 错误：She didn't knew the answer.
• 正确：She didn't know the answer.

错误 2：过去完成时缺少参照点

• 不清楚：I had visited the museum.
• 清楚：I had visited the museum before it closed permanently.
• 规则：过去完成时需要第二个过去事件才讲得通。

错误 3：在一连串动作中滥用过去完成时

• 笨重：She had woken up, had showered, and had eaten breakfast.
• 更好：She woke up, showered, and ate breakfast.
• 规则：如果顺序本身清楚且按时间先后排列，用一般过去时就够了。

错误 4：用过去进行时叙述主要事件

• 错误：Yesterday I was going to the bank and was depositing a check.
• 正确：Yesterday I went to the bank and deposited a check.
• 规则：过去进行时用于背景和正在进行的动作，不用于已完成的主要事件。

错误 5：状态动词用了进行体

• 错误：I was knowing the answer. / She had been wanting a new car.
• 正确：I knew the answer. / She had wanted a new car.
• 规则：表状态的动词（know、want、believe、own 等）几乎从不用进行体。

错误 6：混淆 Lay/Lie 等易错词对

• lie（躺）：lie -- lay -- lain（"She lay on the couch all afternoon."）
• lay（放置）：lay -- laid -- laid（"He laid the book on the table."）
• rise（上升）：rise -- rose -- risen（"Prices rose sharply."）
• raise（举起、提高）：raise -- raised -- raised（"They raised the flag."）

快速判断流程

要决定用哪种过去时，问自己这几个问题：

1. 这是一个已完成的动作或主要事件吗？ --> 用一般过去时。
2. 这个动作在过去某一刻正在进行，或者是在铺设场景吗？ --> 用过去进行时。
3. 这个动作发生在另一个过去动作之前，而且我需要把这个顺序点明吗？ --> 用过去完成时。
4. 我想强调某项活动在某个过去事件之前已经持续了多久吗？ --> 用过去完成进行时。
5. 时间顺序是否已经由上下文交代清楚（before、after、then）？ --> 通常用一般过去时就够了。

核心原则小结

1. 一般过去时是默认选择——绝大多数关于过去的写作都用它。
2. 过去进行时增添氛围——用它铺设场景、交代背景活动。
3. 过去完成时增加纵深——用它指向更早的过去，理清先后顺序。
4. 过去完成进行时呈现持续——用它表明某事在某个过去事件之前已持续多久。
5. 每一次时态切换都应当有理由——不要无缘无故换时态。
6. 通常越简单越好——如果只用一般过去时意思就清楚，就不要平添复杂。