1. Look at the pictures and match to the sentences.

2. Match 1–10 with a)–j) to make sentences.

1 We were having lunch a) she’d lost her keys.

2 I was late for school because
b) when somebody called.
3 While Suzanne was collecting the dirty dishes,
c) until I went to Japan.
4 When she got to her car she realised
d) and ordered a cappuccino.
5 I got out of bed and
e) because my girlfriend had split up with me.
6 Frank met Paula
f) when they were working together at the pizza cafe.
7 It was a beautiful day,
g) she dropped a glass on the floor.
8 I’d never tried sushi
h) I’d missed my bus.
9 I sat down in the café
i) the sun was shining and the waves were crashing on
10 I felt terrible
the beach.
j) jumped in the shower.

3. Put the verbs in brackets in the Past Perfect Simple (had done) or Continuous (had been doing).

His English was very good. He’d been learning it for five years. (learn)

1 I was really fed up because we _______ for hours. (queue)

2 She went to the police to report that someone _______ her bag. (steal)
3 It _______ all morning. The streets were wet, and there were puddles everywhere. (rain)
4 She got to work late because she ______ her phone at home and ______ go back and get it. (leave,
have to)
5 I almost didn’t recognize Tony at the party. He _______ a lot since I last saw him. (change)
6 The tourists’ faces were very red. They _____ in the sun all morning and they _______ any suncream.
(sit, not put on)
7 I could see from their expressions that my parents _______. (argue)
8 Jess had a bandage on her arm because she _______ off her bike that morning. (fall)
9 I was amazed because I _______ such an enormous plane before. (never see)
10 How long ______ before you realized that you were lost? (walk)

4. Complete the story with the correct past forms.

5. SPEAKING PRACTICE. Try to complete the two sentences in four different ways using the four
narrative tenses.

1 The police stopped the driver because he …

2 I couldn’t sleep last night because…

6.You are going to make a story beginning with the sentences below. Think of several events that
happened after/ before the given line. Use different verb forms.

1 It was eleven o’clock at night when the phone rang.

2 Alex had been working hard all day, and was looking forward to going home.
3 We had been driving for four hours when we saw the sign for a small hotel and decided to stop.