§10. Прошедшее длительное время /The Past Continuous Tense

Образование времени The Past Continuous

Форма глаголов в Past Continuous образуется при помощи глагола to be в прошедшем времени (was, were) и Present Participle смыслового глагола.

Отрицательная форма Past Continuous образуется с помощью частицы not, которое ставится после вспомогательного глагола to be: He was not (wasn’t) speaking to the director. В вопросительной форме Past Continuous вспомогательный глагол to be ставится перед подлежащим.

Спряжение глагола to go в Past Continuous Tense

Утвердительная форма	Отрицательная форма	Вопросительная форма
I was speaking with you She was speaking with you He was speaking with you It was speaking with you We were speaking with you They were speaking with you You were speaking with you	I wasn’t speaking with you She wasn’t speaking with you He wasn’t speaking with you It wasn’t speaking with you We weren’t speaking with you They weren’t speaking with you You weren’t speaking with you	Was I speaking with you? Was she speaking with you? Was he speaking with you? Was it speaking with you? Were we speaking with you? Were they speaking with you? Were you speaking with you?

Значение и употребление времени The Past Continuous

Past Continuous употребляется:

• Для выражения действия, происходившего в определенный момент в прошлом: He was working in the garden yesterday at 8 o’clock – Он работал в саду вечером в 8 часов.

• Для выражения действия, происходившего в ограниченный период времени в прошлом: She was writing from 5 till 6 – Она писала с 5 до 6.

• Для выражения действий, происходивших одновременно: While I was reading , Nick was playing the piano – Пока я читала, Ник играл на пианино.

• Для выражения действия, находившегося в процессе совершения, одновременно с другим действием, которое уже совершилось на тот момент: When/While I was reading, the phone rang – Когда/Пока я читал, прозвенел телефон.

• Past Continuous может употребляться в предложении с наречиями always и constantly. Как и Present Continuous, Past Continuous передает в этом случае постоянно совершавшееся действие в прошлом: She was always talking during lecturers last term – В прошлом семестре она постоянно болтала на лекциях.

Self check

Ex.1. Use the Simple Past or the Past Continuous Tense.

1) I (hear, not) the thunder during the storm last night because I (sleep). 2) It was beautiful yesterday when we went for a walk in the park. The sun (shine). A cool breeze (blow). The birds (sing). 3) My brother and sister (argue) about something when I (walk) into the room. 4) I (get) a package in the mail. When I (open) it, I (find) a surprise. 5) Stanley (climb) the stairs when he (trip) and (fall). Luckily, he (hurt, not) himself. 6) While Mrs Emerson (read) the little boy a story, he (fall) asleep, so she (close) the book and quietly (tiptoe) out of the room. 7) I really (enjoy) my vacation last January. While it (snow) in Iowa, the sun (shine) in Florida. While you (shovel) snow in Iowa, I (lie) on the beach in Florida. 8) It was my first day of class. I (find, finally) the right room. The room (be, already) full of students. On one side of the room, students (talk, busily) to each other in Spanish. Other students (speak) Japanese, and some (converse) in Arabic. It (sound) like the United Nations. Some of students; however, (sit, just) quietly by themselves. I (choose) an empty seat in the last row and (sit) down. In a few minutes, the teacher (walk) into the room and all the multilingual conversation (stop). 9) When I (arrive) she (have) lunch. She (apologize) for starting without me but said that she always (lunch) at 12.30.10) He (wear, always) a raincoat and (carry) an umbrella when he walked to the office. 11) I (share) a flat with him when we were students. He (complain, always) about my untidiness. 12) He suddenly (realize) that he (travel) in the wrong direction. 13) He (play) the guitar outside her house when someone opened the window and (throw) out a bucket of water. 14) I (open, just) the letter when the wind (blow) it out of my hand. 15) The burglar (open) the safe when he (hear) footsteps. He immediately (put) out his torch and (crawl) under the bed. 16) The boys (play) cards when they (hear) their father's step. They immediately (hide) the cards and (take) out their lesson books. 17) He (not allow) us to go out in the boat yesterday as a strong wind (blow). 18) The traffic (make) so much noise that I couldn't hear what he (say). 19) She (stand) at the bus-stop. I asked her what bus she (wait) for. 20) When I (hear) his knock I (go) to the door and (open) it, but I (not recognize) him at first because I (not wear) my glasses.

Ex.2 .Translate into English.

1) Вчера вечером шел сильный дождь, и мы не смогли пойти на стадион. 2) Я не ожидал тебя здесь встретить. Когда ты приехал? 3) Я не успел на поезд в 10 часов, и мне пришлось ждать следующего целый час. 4) Мы не поняли друг друга. Я ждал его в здании университета, а он в это время ждал меня на улице. 5) Стюардесса попросила пассажиров пристегнуть ремни, так как самолет шел на посадку. 6) Ты вчера вечером был дома? — Нет, я ходил в театр. Мне очень понравился спектакль. Игра актеров была великолепной. 7) Когда ты был в отпуске последний раз? — Прошлой зимой. — Как ты его провел? — Прекрасно. Ходил на лыжах, катался на коньках. 8) Когда ты позвонил вчера, я был занят. Я переводил наш новый контракт. 9) Вчера я опоздал на урок английского языка. Когда я пришел, студенты писали сочинение. 10) Аня подмела пол, вымыла посуду, а потом стала готовить домашнее задание. 11) Вчера мы купались, загорали, катались на лодке, играли в теннис. Мы очень хорошо провели время. 12) Шел ли дождь, кргда ты вышел из дома? 13) Он спускался вниз по лестнице, когда я его увидел. 14) Ты была вчера дома в 5 часов? — Нет, я была в университете. В это время я сдавала экзамен по грамматике. 15) Она без конца била посуду. 16) Пока я готовила, мой муж чинил автомобиль. 17) Когда ты писал родителям в последний раз? — Месяц назад. 18) Стоял ясный летний день. Светило солнце и пели птицы. 19) Вы работали на этом заводе три года назад? 20) Вы просмотрели вчера эти документы?

Ex.3. Ask questions on the text.

It was a typical summer afternoon; the sun was beating down, the cars were creeping slowly round the corner of the park. Five or six children were playing in the stream by the fountain, jumping in and out of the water, their laughter mixing with the noise of the traffic. All the world was wearing shorts or T-shirts, or bathing costumes; yet Walter Harrison, sitting on a park bench in his overcoat, was feeling cold and lonely. ‘Where will it all end?’ he thought, as he watched the children splashing and laughing. After a few minutes, he got up and walked through the park gates. His adventure was about to begin...

He stopped just before putting his key in the front door. Something was happening in the back garden. Quietly, he crept around the side of the house and looked through the gate. Two men were standing at the back of the house, holding a ladder. A third man was at the top of the ladder and a fourth inside the house: he was passing furniture through the window to his partner, who then gave it to his friends below. All four were working quietly and efficiently and the pile of furniture in the garden was getting bigger and bigger by the minute. Walter could not believe his eyes: the strangers were emptying his entire flat, and they were behaving as if it was the most normal thing in the world. He coughed loudly and then said, ‘Excuse me!’ — and the man at the top of the ladder dropped his portable TV onto the concrete below.