The Use of the Past Tense of the Continuous Aspect

1. The past tense of the continuous aspect denotes a concrete action in its progress at a given past moment.

Ex.: Outside the sunrise was gilding the ruffled clouds… (Cusack)

2. If the given past moment at which the action denoted by the past tense of the continuous aspect is in progress and it is not clear from the context, it may be fixed:

a) By an adverb or adverbial expression of definite time, such as then, at 7 o’clock, at that time, etc.:

Ex.: On a bright December morning long ago, two thinly-clad children were kneeling upon the bank of a frozen canal in Holland. (Dodge)

b) By another action. The action which fixes the given moment is in the common. The action in the past tense of the common aspect may be either in the principal or in the subordinate clause.

Ex.: ‘As I was sitting at breakfast this morning, there came a knock at my door.’(Dickens)

Ex.: The cuckoos were still calling when he woke… (Galsworthy)

In subordinate clauses of time beginning with the conjunctions as and while the common aspect is commonly used, as the meaning of these conjunctions already implies a certain duration.

Ex.: He gazed at his mother while she played … (Galsworthy)

Sometimes if two actions are parallel, the continuous aspect is used in both the principal and the subordinate clause.

Ex: I was preparing dinner while she was tidying the room. (Eliot)

But the repetition of the same form in both clauses is usually avoided.

Ex.: While we dined, the band was playing.

3. The past tense of the continuous aspect may also be used to express an action characteristic of the subject at a given period of time in the past.

Ex.: At that time I was translating one of Galsworthy’s novels into Russian.

4. Sometimes the past tense of the continuous aspect denotes an action filling up a whole period of time, but only when the action is considered in its progress.

Ex.: All the morning the gardeners were bringing flowers… (Maurier)

5. The past tense of the continuous aspect is used with the verbs to start, to go, to leave, to come, to stay to express an action in the immediate future when that future moment is viewed from the past.

Ex.: You wrote that you were comin g this evening. (Voynich)

6. The past tense of the continuous aspect may be used with emotional colouring to express certain feelings (impatience, blame, praise, etc.). This function is closely connected with the meaning of the continuous aspect. Actions going on before our eyes naturally arouse in us certain feelings.

Ex.: ‘At last Sophie! I thought you were never coming ” (Huxley)

The Future Tense (Continuous Aspect)

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I shall be writing he will be writing we shall be writing you will be writing they will be writing	I shall not be writing he will not be writing we shall not be writing you will not be writing they will not be writing	shall I be writing? will he be writing? shall we be writing? will you be writing? will they be writing?

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16