I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club.

有一次，我正好因为登船，要在那里呆几天，在英语俱乐部经人介绍与他相识。

请问老师，Waiting for a ship 在此句中是1）现在分词作原因状语，还是2）spending a few days there waiting for a ship 中的spend time (in) doing st的结构，并且原句为了强调waiting for a ship用逗号分离了）？

【答】你这个句子的中文翻译，有两处错误：

1. “等船”，不是“登船”。

2. “英国俱乐部”，不是“英语俱乐部”。

▲ 此外，waiting for a ship 看作 spending a few days的“目的”更好。实际就是spend time (in) doing sth. 结构，这是口语化的句子，中间加了逗号表示停顿而已，去掉逗号就一气呵成了。

▲ 所谓“原因状语”，可能是根据汉译推测出来的。“等船”和“在那里待几天”是因果关系？还是“在那里待几天”是为了“等船”？

▲ 关于spend time (in) doing sth. 结构，怎样理解这个doing sth.？我的看法是：除了看作spend time的目的外，还可以看作“方面状语”，即“在哪一方面花费时间”。两种理解都可以。

I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club.

=I happened  to be spending a few days there on one occasion, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club.(on one occasion 意思”曾经，有一个时候”）

=Waiting for a ship, I happened  to be spending a few days there on one occasion, , and I was introduced to him at the British Club

有一次，我正好因为等船，要在那里呆几天，在英国俱乐部经人介绍与他相识。

请问老师，Waiting for a ship 在此句中是1）现在分词作原因状语，还是2）spending a few days there waiting for a ship 中的spend time (in)doing st的结构，并且原句为了强调waiting for a ship用逗号分离了）？

你的理解是正确的，waiting for a ship是现在分词作原因状语. 用来说明我要在那里度过几天的原因。