摘要：一般过去时表示过去某一时候或某一段时间所发生了的事情或存在的状态。有些动词的过去时，如：expect, hope, intend, plan, wanted 等一般过去时，后接不定式的完成时;或它们的过去完成时接不定式的一般式，都可表示过去未曾实现的意图、打算或希望。

英语一般过去时讲解

一、一般过去时的定义

一般过去时表示过去某一时候或某一段时间所发生了的事情或存在的状态。常与过去时间yesterday, this morning, just now, a moment ago, in May, last night / year / week, once upon a time, the other day, in the past 等连用。如：

What did you do yesterday? 昨天你干了什么?

I met Lin Tao this morning. 今天上午我会到了林涛。

I was there a moment ago. 刚才我在那儿。

二、一般过去时的应用

1. 一般过去时表示过去

(1) 表示过去发生的动作或存在的状态：

He bought the computer five years ago. 这电脑是他五年前买的。

It was then a small fishing village.那时它只是一个小渔村。

(2) 表示过去经常性或习惯性的动作：

We often played together when we were children.我们小时候常在一起玩。

注：表过去习惯性的动词，也可用used to或would：

He used to go to work by bus. 他过去常乘公共汽车去上班。

2. 一般过去时表示现在

(1) 在宾语从句中，由于时态呼应的关系，可用一般过去时表示现在：

I didn’t know you were here. 我不知道你在这儿。(were实际上指现在)

I didn’t know you were so busy.我没想到你这么忙。(were实际上指现在)

(2) 表示客气委婉的现在

I wondered if you were free this evening. 不知您今晚是否有空。

I thought you might like some flowers. 我想您也许想要些花。

注：能这样有的动词主要限于want, wonder, think, hope, intend等少数动词。

(3) 用于某些特殊结构中表示现在

It’s time we started. 我们该动身了。

I wish I knew his him. 要是我知道他的名字就好了。

I’d rather you lived closer to us. 我希望你能住得离我们近点。

注：该用法主要用于it’s time, I wish, I’d rather, if only, as if, as though 等少数结构后接从句的情形，其中有些结构后面的句子还可用一般过去时表示将来：

I’d rather you come next Monday. 我宁愿你下周星期一来。

另外表主观想法的虚拟条件句也用一般过去时表示现在：

If I had the money now I’d buy a car. 假若我现在有钱，我就买辆小汽车。(from www.yygrammar.com)

三、一般过去时对谓语动词的要求

一般过去时的谓语动词要用动词的过去式。动词过去式的构成分规则变化和不规则变化两种形式，不规则变化通常需要逐个记忆，规则变化则遵循以下原则：

(1) 一般在动词后加-ed。如：play—played, offer—offered, weigh—weighed, destroy— destroyed, sign—signed.

(2) 在以字母e结尾的动词后，只加-d。如：like—liked, provide—provided, hate — hated, date—dated。

(3) 在以“辅音字母+y”结尾的动词后，则改y为i，再加—ed。如：supply—supplied, fly—flied, study— studied. (from www.yygrammar.com)

(4) 在以单短元音的重读闭音节结尾且，末尾只有一个辅音字母的动词后，双写最后一个辅音字母，再加-ed。如：plan—planned, refer—referred, regret—regretted, ban—banned.

四、特别说明

有些动词的过去时，如：expect, hope, intend, plan, wanted 等一般过去时，后接不定式的完成时;或它们的过去完成时接不定式的一般式，都可表示过去未曾实现的意图、打算或希望。如：

I hoped to have been invited to his wedding party. —I had hoped to be invited to his wedding ceremony. 我本希望他来邀请我参加他的婚礼。

I intended to have joined their games. —I had intended to join their games. 我本打算参加他们的比赛。

五、典型考题(附详解)

1. Helen ______ her keys in the office so she had to wait until her husband ______ home.

A. has left; comes B. left; had come C. had left; came D. had left; would come

解析：答案选 C。leave 应发生在 had to wait 这个过去动作之前，“过去的过去”用过去完成时; 后一空用一般过去时表示过去将来。

2. — Nancy is not coming tonight.

—But she ______!

A. promises B. promised C. will promise D. had promised

解析：答案选 B。“但她曾经答应要来的”，过去的许诺，故用一般过去时。

3. —You haven’t said a word about my new coat, Brenda. Do you like it?

—I’m sorry I ______ anything about it sooner. I certainly think it’s pretty on you.

A. wasn’t saying B. don’t say C. won’t say D. didn’t say

解析：答案选 D。用一般过去时，指“我刚才没急于说”。

4. All morning as she waited for the medical report from the doctor, her nervousness ______.

A. has grown B. is growing C. grew D. had grown

解析：答案选 C。紧张伴随等的过程而产生，应同时发生，waited 是一般过去时，grow 也用一般过去时。

5. I thought Jim would say something about his school report, but he ______ it.

A. doesn’t mention B. hadn’t mentioned C. didn’t mention D. hasn’t mentioned

解析：答案选 C。只描述过去所发生的情况，但没有强调对现在的影响，用一般过去时。

6. I ______ while reading the English textbook. Luckily, my roommate woke me up in time!

A. had fallen asleep B. have fallen asleep C. fell asleep D. fall asleep

解析：答案选 C。描写过去发生的情况用一般过去时。

7. Sales of CDs have greatly increased since the early 1990s, when people ______ to enjoy the advantages of this new technology.

A. begin B. began C. have begun D. had begun

解析：答案选 B。when引导的是一个非限制性定语从句，when指20世纪90年代初，当然用一般过去时。

8. —I hear Jane has gone to the Holy Island for her holiday.

—Oh, how nice! Do you know when she ______?

A. was leaving B. had left C. has left D. left

解析：答案选 D。因为Jane已经度假去了，“离开”此地就当然是在此之前的过去某个时间了，所以用一般过去时，选D。另外，when通常都不与完成时连用，排除B和C，A也与语境不符。

9. I ______ you not to move my dictionary—-now I can’t find it.

A. asked B. ask C. was asking D. had asked

解析：答案选 A。由now可知前句的意思是：我曾经叫你不要搬动我的词典的 (你偏不听)。“叫”是在过去发生的动作，用一般过去时。

10. The teacher, with 6 girls and 8 boys of her class, ______ visiting a museum when the earthquake struck.

A. was B. were C. had been D. would be

解析：答案选 A。由when the earthquake struck可知，要用一般过去时，排除C和D; 又因为主语是单数the teacher，所以只有A正确。

11. The discussion ____ alive when an interesting topic was brought in.

A. was coming B. had come C. has come D. came

解析：答案选 D。由when…was brought in可知，come也是过去发生的事，用一般过去时。句意是：当引入一个有趣的话题时，那场讨论又变得活跃起来。

12. She ______her hairstyle in her hometown before she came to Chongqing for a better job.

A. would change B. has changed C. changed D. was changing

解析：答案选 C。由came可知，她已来重庆了，而改变发型是在来重庆之前，即过去的过去，按理要用过去完成时，但before已经表明紧接着发生的先后两个动作，所以也可用一般过去时，所以选C。

13. What we used to think ______ impossible now does seem possible.

A. is B. was C. has been D. will be

解析：答案选 B。根据句中的used to可知，空格处应填一般过去时。句意为：我们过去认为不可能的现在都似乎有可能成为现实。

14. It is said that the early European playing-cards ______ for entertainment and education.

A. were being designed B. have designed

C. have been designed D. were designed

解析：答案选 D。解答此题的关键是要抓住early这一形容词。early European playing-cards的意思是“早期欧洲人玩的扑克牌”，既然是“早期”，肯定就是过去的事了，所以用一般过去时。

15. I ______ in London for many years, but I’ve never regretted my final decision to move back to China.(www.cpsenglish.com)

A. lived B. was living C. have lived D. had lived

解析：答案选 A。许多同学一看到后面的have never regretted为现在完成时，同时选项C也是现在完成时，结果滥用时态呼应，将答案误选C。其实，此题的最佳答案是A。句中but后的句子告诉我们，说话者现在已搬回了上海，所以他住在伦敦应属于过去的事情，故应用一般过去时。

16. Eliza remembers everything exactly as if ______ yesterday.

A. was happening B. happens C. has happened D. happened

解析：答案选 D。根据句中的yesterday可知，要用一般过去时。