有一读者问：过去一般时何时可不用时间状语？
据一位英国语法家说， 过去一般时不用时间状语的情况有下列三种：
1. 在上下文清楚或对话人彼此明白或尽人皆知时，如：
(1)Who was that? （指刚才）
(2)Did you sleep well? （指昨夜）
(3)Lei Feng died at his post. （尽人皆知）
(4)— This time last year I was in Dalian.
— How curious! I was there too. （从上文而知）
2. 用于其他状语从句中时，如：
(5)Tom has been punished because he pulled Mary's hair.
3. 前面有现在完成时引导时，如：
(6)Have you measured how wide the window was ?
(7)I have seen him already — he came to borrow a hammer.
我们认为除了以上三种情况外，还有下列几种情况也可以不用时间状语：
4. 以地点状语代替时间状语时，如：
(8)I saw him in town.
5. 与现在对比时，如：
(9)He is not the man he was .
6. 表示人已死时，如：
(10)— Who is he in the picture?
— He was my father.
