一般过去时也译为单纯过去时。
例A:He worked very hard last year.
(去年他很用功。)
例B:Mr. Smith bought a new car yesterday.
(史密斯先生昨天买了一辆新车。)
例C:They were here only a few minutes ago.
(几分钟前他们还在这里。)
一般过去时的用法如下:
解说 一般过去时最明显的现象就是常由表达过去之时间的副词或副词短语来修饰它(如各例句的斜体字部分)。这些常用于修饰一般过去时的副词有:yesterday, yesterday morning (afternoon, evening ), just now (刚才), before (以前) , then (at that time ) (当时) , last +时间 (如 last week, month, year, Monday, … January, … spring, …, etc. ), that +时间 (如 that day, afternoon, summer, …, etc. ), 时间 + ago (如 a few minutes ago, two weeks ago , years ago, … etc.)
“过去”的概念并不是只指如 “yesterday, last week,… ” 等,实际上“与现在对立的过去”,亦即“非现在的以前”,哪怕是“过了说话时间的几分钟之前”,只要所要表达的时间与说话时的“现在”形成对立,就必须使用一般过去时来表达。例如:
He was here only a few minutes ago.
(仅仅几分钟前他还在这里。)
I came home just now.
(我刚回到家。)
在A项我们说明了“this + 时间, today, etc.”的时间副词常用于修饰一般现在时,但是实际上只要是“与说话时的现在”对立,就必须使用一般过去时。例如:
I got up very early this morning.
(今天早晨我起床很早。)
He was late for school again today.
(今天他又迟到了。)
Drilling Square
Ⅰ.请把下列动词选填到各题空格处并改为适当的形式(可以重复选用)。
(be, break, come, do, drive, enjoy, fall, get, go, have, leave, lose, rain, run, seem, stay, stop, take, teach, tell, write)
1.How many people (1) ______ there at the party last Saturday afternoon?
2.He (2) ______ hungry because he not (3) his breakfast this morning.
5.They say the train (13) ______ faster and safer than the bus does, so we (14) ______ the train to Kaohsiung yesterday.
6.Because I (15) ______ ill I not (16) to school the day before.
7.Have you found the bicycle you (17) ______ the other day?
8.There (18) ______ few schools in those days.
9.Usually my father (19) ______ to work, but he (20) ______ the bus this morning, for his car (21)______ down on his way home yesterday.
10.Mr. Smith (22) ______ English in our school when he first (23) ______ to Taiwan. But he (24) ______ here and (25) ______to teach in a small school in the country two years ago. He (26) ______ me and (27) ______ me that it (28) ______ fun teaching English in a small school in the country. It (29) ______ that he (30) ______ his teaching job there very much now.
Ⅱ.请写出下列短文空格中所给动词的正确时态形式。
Last Saturday I (1) go shopping with my mother and (2) get lost. The store (3) be crowded. I (4) stop to watch a toy merry-go-round (旋转木马之类的游戏装置),and when I (5) look up, my mother (6) be nowhere to be seen! Then I (7) make a big mistake. When you (8) be lost, you should stay right where you (9) be. But I (10) start to look for my mother all over the store. I couldn’t find her anywhere. I (11) be getting more and more scared. Just then a sales girl (12) ask me if I (13) have lost my mother.
“Oh , yes!” I (14) say.
The sales girl (15) ask me what my name (16) be . The next thing I (17) know I (18) hear a loud speaker (扩音器) saying (广播着), “Attention, please (请各位注意). Barbara Flint is at the toy counter (玩具部柜台). Barbara Flint is at the toy counter.” Soon my mother (19) come up to the counter.
I never (20) expect to be so famous again.
----Language for Daily Use