PAST CONTINUOUS
forma
il past continuous è formato dal passato del verbo to be+ presente participle
affermativa negativa interrogativa
I was working I wasn’t working was I working ?
You were working you weren’t working were you working ?
He she it was working he she it wasn’t working was he she it working ?
We were working we weren’t working were we working ?
You were working you weren’t working were you working?
They were working they were working were they working ?
Il pasta continuous è utilizzato per azioni che continuano nel tempo e di cui non si conosce l’inizio e la fine
- si usa senza espressioni di tempo per indicare un graduale sviluppo
It was getting darker
- e utilizzato per esprimere un azione che è iniziato prima e che continuerà anche dopo
at nine he was having breakfast (implica che alle nove era nel mezzo della colazione)
at nine he had breakfast ( ha iniziato alle nove a fare colazione)
utilizzato con il simple past quando abbiamo l’idea che l’azione al past continuous inizia prima dell’azione al simple past e probabilmente continuerà anche dopo
when Mary arrived Tom was talking to the telephone
si utilizza nelle descrizioni
a wood fire was burning. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Il past continuous usato nel discorso indiretto per futuro nel passato e con always
he said he was living in London
I was busy packing, for he was leaving that night
He was always ringing me up
un’azione ripetitiva che da’ fastidio
come alternativa al simple past
per indicare un’azione più casuale, non deliberata
I was talking to Tom the other day (l’ho incontrato casualmente)
I talked toTom ( ho preso l’iniziativa di parlare con Tom
