语法点：一般过去时 (Simple Past)
一般过去时用来叙述过去某个时间发生、并且已经结束的动作或状态。本课是一篇典型的"过去叙事"：从 On Wednesday evening 开始，一连串动作 went、passed、stopped、waited、shouted、looked、began 按时间顺序讲完一个故事。只要句中有明确的过去时间（on Wednesday evening、at five to twelve、at that moment）或者整段都在讲过去的事，就用一般过去时。规则动词加 -ed（passed, stopped, waited），不规则动词要单独记（went, began, was/were）。否定和疑问借助 did，后面的动词变回原形。
结构
| 形式 | 结构 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| 肯定 | 主语 + 动词过去式 | We went to the Town Hall. |
| 否定 | 主语 + did not (didn't) + 动词原形 | The big minute hand did not move. |
| 一般疑问 | Did + 主语 + 动词原形? | Did the clock stop? |
| be 动词 | was / were ; was not / were not | It was true. It was not true. |
常见的过去时间状语：on Wednesday evening, last year, at that moment, ... ago, then。
课文中的例句
- [句 1] On Wednesday evening, we went to the Town Hall. — 明确的过去时间 + 不规则过去式 went
- [句 4] Fifteen minutes passed and then, at five to twelve, the clock stopped. — 规则动词 passed、stopped 按时间顺序叙事
- [句 5] The big minute hand did not move. — 一般过去时否定：did not + 动词原形
- [句 6] We waited and waited, but nothing happened. — 重复动词 waited 强调等待的时间之长
- [句 11] It was true. — be 动词的过去式 was
- [句 13] At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing. — began 是 begin 的过去式，后接不定式
补充例句
- Last night a large crowd gathered in the street. 昨晚一大群人聚集在街上。
- I looked at my watch, but it did not work. 我看了看表，但它不走了。
- Did you go to the Town Hall on New Year's Eve? 你除夕晚上去市政厅了吗？
易错点
- ❌ The clock stop at five to twelve. → ✅ The clock stopped at five to twelve. 讲过去的事，动词要用过去式，不能用原形。
- ❌ The minute hand did not moved. → ✅ The minute hand did not move. did 已经表示过去，后面的动词用原形。
- ❌ We were wait for a long time. → ✅ We waited for a long time. 实义动词的过去时直接变形，不加 was/were。
- ❌ Everybody begin to laugh. → ✅ Everybody began to laugh. begin 是不规则动词，过去式是 began。