Thì quá khứ tiếp diễn (Past Continuous) là gì?
Thì quá khứ tiếp diễn dùng để diễn tả hành động đang xảy ra tại một thời điểm trong quá khứ. Hãy tưởng tượng bạn đang xem lại một đoạn phim và bấm nút "pause" — những gì đang diễn ra ở khung hình đó chính là Past Continuous.
Trong VSTEP, thì này thường xuất hiện trong phần Listening (mô tả tình huống) và Reading (bối cảnh câu chuyện).
1. Cấu trúc thì quá khứ tiếp diễn
a) Câu khẳng định
| Chủ ngữ | Công thức | Ví dụ |
|---|---|---|
| I / He / She / It | S + was + V-ing | I was studying at 8 p.m. |
| You / We / They | S + were + V-ing | They were studying at 8 p.m. |
b) Câu phủ định
Công thức: S + was/were + not + V-ing
- I was not (wasn't) sleeping at that time.
- They were not (weren't) listening to the teacher.
c) Câu nghi vấn
Công thức: Was/Were + S + V-ing?
- Was she working when you called?
- Were they playing football at 5 p.m.?
2. Cách dùng thì quá khứ tiếp diễn
| Cách dùng | Ví dụ |
|---|---|
| Hành động đang xảy ra tại một thời điểm cụ thể trong quá khứ | At 9 p.m. last night, I was watching TV. |
| Hành động đang diễn ra thì bị ngắt bởi hành động khác | I was cooking dinner when the phone rang. |
| Hai hành động đang diễn ra song song | While I was reading, she was watching TV. |
| Tả bối cảnh trong câu chuyện | The sun was shining and the birds were singing. |
3. When vs While — Quy tắc vàng
Đây là phần cực kỳ quan trọng và hay ra trong đề VSTEP. Hãy nhớ quy tắc sau:
Quy tắc 1: WHEN + Past Simple (hành động ngắn, xen vào)
Công thức: S + was/were + V-ing + when + S + V2/V-ed
Diễn tả: Hành động dài (đang diễn ra) bị ngắt quãng bởi hành động ngắn.
- I was taking a shower when someone knocked on the door.
- She was driving to work when she saw the accident.
- We were having dinner when the lights went out.
Quy tắc 2: WHILE + Past Continuous (hành động dài, đang diễn ra)
Công thức: While + S + was/were + V-ing, S + V2/V-ed
Diễn tả: Trong khi hành động dài đang diễn ra, hành động ngắn xảy ra.
- While I was sleeping, the alarm clock rang.
- While she was cooking, the children came home.
Quy tắc 3: WHILE + Past Continuous, Past Continuous (song song)
Công thức: While + S + was/were + V-ing, S + was/were + V-ing
Diễn tả: Hai hành động đồng thời, song song.
- While Mom was cooking, Dad was reading the newspaper.
- While the teacher was explaining, the students were taking notes.
Bảng tóm tắt When vs While
| Từ nối | Thì theo sau | Diễn tả | Ví dụ |
|---|---|---|---|
| when | Past Simple | Hành động ngắn xen vào | ...when the phone rang. |
| while | Past Continuous | Hành động dài đang diễn ra | While I was sleeping... |
Mẹo nhớ: When = When something happened (1 hành động ngắn). While = While something was happening (hành động dài, kéo dài).
4. Dấu hiệu nhận biết
- at + giờ cụ thể + thời gian quá khứ: at 8 p.m. last night, at that time, at this time yesterday
- when + mệnh đề quá khứ đơn: when I came home, when she called
- while + mệnh đề: while we were eating
- all day (yesterday), all morning, all evening
5. Kết hợp Past Simple + Past Continuous
Trong câu dài, bạn thường gặp cả hai thì. Hãy nhớ:
- Past Continuous = hành động nền (background), đang diễn ra
- Past Simple = hành động chính (main event), xảy ra đột ngột
Ví dụ phân tích:
"I was walking home (nền — đang đi) when I found a wallet on the street (chính — tìm thấy đột ngột)."
6. Bài tập trắc nghiệm — 15 câu
Chọn đáp án đúng nhất (A, B, C hoặc D).
Câu 1. She ______ dinner when her friend ______.
A. cooked / arrived B. was cooking / arrived C. cooked / was arriving D. cooks / arrived
Câu 2. While they ______ in the park, it started to rain.
A. walk B. walked C. were walking D. was walking
Câu 3. What ______ you ______ at 10 p.m. last night?
A. did / do B. were / doing C. was / doing D. do / do
Câu 4. I ______ to music while my sister ______ her homework.
A. was listening / was doing B. listened / did C. was listening / did D. listened / was doing
Câu 5. When the teacher ______, the students ______ loudly.
A. came in / were talking B. was coming in / talked C. came in / talked D. comes in / were talking
Câu 6. He ______ his leg while he ______ football.
A. broke / was playing B. was breaking / played C. broke / played D. was breaking / was playing
Câu 7. At 7 a.m. this morning, I ______ to work.
A. drove B. was driving C. drive D. am driving
Câu 8. While she ______ the house, she ______ an old photo.
A. was cleaning / found B. cleaned / was finding C. was cleaning / was finding D. cleans / found
Câu 9. The children ______ in the garden all afternoon yesterday.
A. play B. played C. were playing D. was playing
Câu 10. I ______ a book when the electricity ______ off.
A. read / went B. was reading / went C. was reading / was going D. read / was going
Câu 11. ______ it ______ when you left the office?
A. Did / rain B. Was / raining C. Were / raining D. Does / rain
Câu 12. The sun ______ and the birds ______ when we started our hike.
A. shone / sang B. was shining / were singing C. shines / sing D. shining / singing
Câu 13. She ______ on the phone when I ______ into the room.
A. talked / walked B. was talking / walked C. talked / was walking D. was talking / was walking
Câu 14. While the manager ______ a presentation, someone's phone ______.
A. was giving / rang B. gave / was ringing C. was giving / was ringing D. gives / rang
Câu 15. They ______ about the VSTEP exam when I ______ them at the cafe.
A. discussed / met B. were discussing / met C. discussed / was meeting D. were discussing / was meeting
7. Đáp án và giải thích
| Câu | Đáp án | Giải thích |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B. was cooking / arrived | Đang nấu (dài) → Past Continuous. Bạn đến (ngắn, xen vào) → Past Simple. |
| 2 | C. were walking | "While" + hành động dài → Past Continuous. "they" → were. |
| 3 | B. were / doing | "at 10 p.m. last night" → thời điểm cụ thể → Past Continuous. "you" → were. |
| 4 | A. was listening / was doing | "while" + hai hành động song song → cả hai Past Continuous. |
| 5 | A. came in / were talking | "When" + hành động ngắn (came in) → Past Simple. Hành động nền (were talking) → Past Continuous. |
| 6 | A. broke / was playing | Gãy chân (ngắn, đột ngột) → Past Simple. Đang chơi bóng (dài) → Past Continuous. |
| 7 | B. was driving | "At 7 a.m. this morning" → thời điểm cụ thể → Past Continuous. |
| 8 | A. was cleaning / found | "While" + đang dọn (dài) → Past Continuous. Tìm thấy (ngắn) → Past Simple. |
| 9 | C. were playing | "all afternoon yesterday" → hành động kéo dài suốt → Past Continuous. "children" → were. |
| 10 | B. was reading / went | Đang đọc (dài) → Past Continuous. Mất điện (ngắn, đột ngột) → Past Simple. |
| 11 | B. Was / raining | Hỏi về tình trạng đang diễn ra → Past Continuous. "it" → was. |
| 12 | B. was shining / were singing | Tả bối cảnh (nền) → Past Continuous cho cả hai. |
| 13 | B. was talking / walked | Đang nói (dài) → Past Continuous. Bước vào (ngắn) → Past Simple. |
| 14 | A. was giving / rang | "While" + đang thuyết trình (dài) → Past Continuous. Chuông reo (ngắn) → Past Simple. |
| 15 | B. were discussing / met | Đang thảo luận (dài) → Past Continuous. Gặp (ngắn, xen vào) → Past Simple. |
Bài tiếp theo: Bài tập thì quá khứ đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn — 30 câu có đáp án.