一、定义
表示过去在某一时间段或某一段时间内正在发生或进行的动作或状态。
二、结构
肯定句：主语 + was/were + 现在分词 + 其他
We were having supper when the phone rang.
我们正在吃晚饭时，电话响了。
He was repairing his bike.
他在修理自行车。
Whilewe were talking, the teacher came in.
当我们正在谈话时,老师进来了。
He was cleaning his car while I was cooking.
他擦车时，我正在做饭。
否定句：主语 + was/were not + 现在分词 + 其他
This time yesterday Jack was not watching TV.
昨天这个时候杰克没看电视。
I wanted to make sure that I wasn't doing something wrong.
我想知道是不是我做错了什么。
He wasn't running in circles.
他并没有绕圆圈跑。
一般疑问句：Was/Were + 主语 + 现在分词 + 其他？
肯定回答：Yes, 主语 + be（was/were）
否定回答：No, 主语 + wasn't/weren't
Was she watching TV at that time?
当时她在看电视吗？
回答：Yes, she was./No, she wasn't.
Was Kate doing homework at that time?
当时凯特在做家庭作业吗？
回答：Yes, she was./No, she wasn't.
Were you playing football this time yesterday?
昨天这个时候你在踢足球吗？
回答：Yes, I am./No, I am not.
特殊疑问句：特殊疑问词或词组 + was/were + 主语 + 现在分词 + 其他?
What were you thinking of? Youshouldn'tsteal.
你当时是怎么想的？你不该偷东西。
What were you saying just now?
你刚才说什么来着？
Why were you holdingeveryoneup?
你为什么耽搁了大家？
Why was he wasting her time with these irrelevancies?
他为什么要在这些无关紧要的事上浪费她的时间呢？
被动语态：主语 + be（was/were）+ being + 过去分词 + 其他
The punishment was beinggiven.
惩罚正在进行中。
Movies were being watched.
正在看电影。
A fight was being fought.
一场战斗正在进行中。
Oscar award was being given by Tom Cruise.
奥斯卡奖由汤姆·克鲁斯颁发。
三、用法
1、过去进行时可以表示在过去某个时间点发生的事情。时间点可以用介词短语、副词或从句来表示。
What was she doing at nine o'clock yesterday?
昨天晚上九点她在做什么?
When I saw him he was decorating his room.
当我看见他的时候他正在装饰房间。
Tom wasgettingup at six o’clock every day that week.
汤姆那一周里每天都是六点钟起床。
I was washing my clothes at this time yesterday.
昨天的这个时候，我正在洗衣服。
They were playing games at 5：00 p.m. yesterday．
昨天下午五点他们正在玩游戏。
2、在复合句中，如果主要动作和背景动作都是延续的或同时发生的，那么主从句的动词都可用过去进行时。
He was cleaning his car while I was cooking.
他擦车时，我正在做饭。
While he was waiting for the bus, he was reading a newspaper.
他边等车边看报。
They were singing while we were dancing.
我们跳舞的时候他们正在唱歌。
When I was doing my homework, my mother was cooking.
当我正在做功课的时候，我妈妈正在做饭。
When my mother was doing the housework,my father was watching TV.
当我妈妈正在做家务的时候，我爸爸正在看电视。
3、表示在过去即将发生的动作。
She asked him whether he was coming back for supper.
她问他是否正赶回来回来吃晚饭。
He told me he was leaving for Shanghai tomorrow.
他告诉我他明天要去上海。
4、通常不用于过去进行时的动词。
abhor、adore、agree、appear、consist、desire、detest、find、fit、forget、hate、have、hear、know、like、look、love、object、prefer、seem、suit、suppose、think、want、wonder
5、过去进行时表示感情色彩与现在进行时相似，过去进行时也可表示满意、称赞、惊讶、厌恶等感情色彩，也通常与 always，forever，continually等副词连用。
They were always quarrelling.
他们老是吵架。
He was always trying out new ideas.
他总是试验一些新的设想。
He was forever complaining about something.
他老是怨这怨那。
She was always arguing with him and fighting with him.
她总是跟他争辩吵嘴。
She was always moving things around.
她老是将东西搬来搬去。
We were always trying to be creative and to shock.
那时我们总是想搞点儿新意，以求惊世骇俗。
They were always griping about high prices.
他们总是抱怨物价太高。
In the past he was constantly asking me for money.
过去他总是向我要钱。
6、动词 be 的过去进行时也可表示过去一时的表现或暂时的状态。
He was being friendly.
他当时显得很友好。
They felt they were being sucked into a whirlpool of publicity.
他们觉得好像陷入了一个宣传的漩涡中。
People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school, but they were being ironic.
人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。
He was being paid danger money from the sound of it.
印象中他得到了危险工作津贴。
She wasunawarethat she was being filmed.
她不知道有人在拍摄她。
7、表示按计划、安排过去将要发生的事。用于 come，go，leave，start，arrive 等表示位置转移的动词时，也可以用过去进行时表示过去将要发生的动作。
He told me（that）he was going soon.
他告诉我他很快就要走了。
He was coming down the road the same time as the girl was turning into the lane.
当女孩拐进这个车道时，他也正沿着这条路驶来。
Then Louise broke the news that she was leaving me.
然后路易丝挑明了她要离开我。
She asked mewhetherhe was starting the next day.
她问我他是否第二天就走。
8、表示故事发生的背景。
It was snowing as the medical teammadeits way to the front.
那支医疗小组往前线行进时，天正下雪。
He was just falling asleep when there was a loud knock at the door.
他刚要入睡，这时突然有人很响地敲门。
It was a dark night. The wind was blowing hard and the rain was falling heavily. A young woman suddenly appeared on the river bank.
一个漆黑的夜晚，狂风大作，大雨倾盆，一位年轻的妇女突然出现在河岸上。
9、表示一个新的动作刚刚开始，可用来引出一个新的动作。
Five minutes later, he stood in the doorway smoking a cigarette.
五分钟后，他站在门口抽烟。
10、用来陈述原因或用作借口。
She went to the doctor yesterday. She was havinga lot oftrouble with her heart.
她昨天去看病了。她患了很严重的心脏病。
I haven't finished my homeworkbecauseI was helping my mother at home all day yesterday.
我作业没做完是因为我昨天一直帮妈妈在家干活。
11、过去进行时表示过去某段时间内持续进行的动作或者事情。常用的时间状语 this morning, the whole morning, all day yesterday, when, while。
We were watching TV from seven to nine last night.
昨晚七点到九点我们在看电视。
What was he researching all day last Sunday?
上周日他一整天都在研究什么?
My brother fell while he was riding his bicycle and hurt himself.
我哥哥骑自行车的时候从车上摔下来，受伤了。
It was raining when they left the station.
他们离开车站的时候天正在下雨。
When I got to the top of the mountain, the sun was shining.
当我到达山顶的时候，阳光灿烂。
四、时态区分
进行时表某一行为的“片断”，一般时表示行为的“整体”和存在的状态。
未读完，“读”的片段
那时我正在看书。
已读完，表整个“读”
我昨天读了这本书。
一般持续时间状语多与进行时连用。
优先用was raining ，rained 为持续动词，故也可使用
整晚都在下雨。