گرامر زمان گذشته ی استمراری

Past Continuous

Mike Birbiglia was having a sleep problem called REM Behavior Disorder.

Was Mike having a walking problem? No, Mike wasn’t having a walking problem. Was Mike having an eating problem? No, Mike wasn’t having an eating problem. What kind of problem was Mike having? Mike was having a sleep problem.

For most people, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released during sleep. Neurotransmitters have many functions, but one thing dopamine does is paralyze the body during sleep. This keeps the sleeper from moving during their dreams. For people like Mike Birbiglia, things were working a little differently.

Were things happening normally for Mike? No, things weren’t happening normally for Mike. Were things happening differently for Mike? Yes, things we’re happening differently for Mike.

For 7 years, Mike was having a recurring dream of a flying jackal monster.

Was Mike dreaming about Abby? No, Mike wasn’t dreaming about Abby. Was Mike dreaming about a cute flying jackal? No, Mike wasn’t dreaming about a cute flying jackal. What was Mike dreaming about? Mike was dreaming about a flying jackal monster.

During one of these dreams, he was jumping onto his bed in the middle of the night while he was still sleeping.

What was Mike jumping on? Mike was jumping onto his bed. Was he doing this in the morning? No, he wasn’t doing this in the morning. When was he doing this? He was doing this in the middle of the night. Was he still sleeping? Yes, he was still sleeping.

He was completely freaking out.

Was he feeling calm and relaxed? No, he wasn’t feeling calm and relaxed. How was he feeling? He was completely freaking out.

He was yelling to his girlfriend that there was a monster floating over their bed.

Was he yelling to his mother about the monster? No, he wasn’t yelling to his mother about the monster. Was he yelling to Abby about the monster? Yes, he was yelling to Abby about the monster. Who was he yelling to about the monster? He was yelling to Abby about the monster. Was the monster lying on the bed? No, the monster wasn’t lying on the bed. Was the monster floating over the bed? Yes, the monster was floating over the bed. What was the monster doing? The monster was floating over the bed.

He never studied karate, but for some weird reason he was standing in a karate stance ready to do battle.

Was he standing in a surfing stance? No, he wasn’t standing in a surfing stance. Was he standing in a wrestling stance? No, he wasn’t standing in a wrestling stance. Was he standing in a karate stance? Yes, he was standing in a karate stance.

Abby, was telling him there wasn’t any monster in the room. Go back to sleep, she said.

Was Abby telling the monster to go away? No, Abby wasn’t telling the monster go away. Was Abby telling the monster to sit down and have some tea? No, Abby wasn’t telling the monster to sit down and have some tea. Was Abby talking to the monster? No, Abby wasn’t talking to the monster.