NARRATIVE TENSES

WHAT ARE NARRATIVE TENSES?

• Narrative tenses are verb tenses that are used to talk about the
past. You can often find them in stories, textbooks, spoken
accounts and in descriptions of past events.
• The four narrative tenses are the past simple, past continuous, past
perfect and past perfect continuous and one or more of these can be
used in a sentence.
 Past Continuous vs. Past Simple
I saw a parrot while I was waiting for the bus.

• Which action began first?

• (Waiting for the bus)
• Which action interrupted that action?
• (I saw a parrot.)
• Which action continued after the interruption?
• (Waiting for the bus)
• Reminder: We use the past continuous to give
background information and the past simple
to describe specific past actions.
Past Perfect vs. Past Simple
John was very sad because his girlfriend had left him.

• Which event happened first?

(His girlfriend had left him)
• Reminder: When we use the past perfect,
there is always another past event in the past simple.
 Past Perfect Simple vs. Past Perfect Continuous
I recognized the hotel. I had stayed there in 2004. When I arrived, I met Isobel. She
had been staying at the hotel for a few days.

• Which happened first – I recognized the hotel, or I had stayed there in 2004?
• (I had stayed there in 2004).
• Reminder: We use the past perfect continuous
to express duration (for a few days) and
the past perfect simple to refer to an event
at a specific time in the past (in 2004).
Put the verbs in brackets into the respective tenses:

1. London _______ (sleep) - (past continuous)

was sleeping.
2. Thomas Farriner and his workers_____ busily _____bread when, suddenly, a fire broke out.
(make) - (past continuous)
were making
3. The fire __________for almost for days. (rage) - (past perfect continuous)
had been raging
4. His soldiers ________a large warehouse. (demolish) - (past simple)
demolished
5. It _______for months. (rain) - (past perfect)
hadn’t rained
RULES:
• We use:
1. past simple to talk about finished actions in the past.
2. past continuous to talk about longer actions in the past interrupted by
shorter actions.
3. past continuous to set the scene.
4. past perfect to talk about actions before a certain time in the past.
5. past perfect continuous to talk about
uninterrupted actions before a
certain time in the past.
Complete the sentences with the past simple or the past continuous form of the
verbs

Example: While people _____towards the river, a warehouse _______. (run/explode)

were running / exploded
1. When they _____how serious the situation was, they _____their possessions and to get
away. (notice/take/try)
noticed / took / tried
2. A man ______for his family when he ________a baby in the street. (look/find)
was looking / found
3. While they _____how to stop the fire, it _____ clear that little could be done. (think/become)
were thinking / became
4. While people in the bakery _____bread, a small fire_____. (make/start)
were making / started
Complete the conversation with the correct form of the verbs.

burn do see run sit walk go open

IAN: I had a real scare yesterday. As I _____up to our house, I _____ smoke coming
from the window.
OLI: ___something ____?
IAN: Fortunately not. I ___ into the house, _____the kitchen door and there was my
brother. He _____on the floor in shock. He _____science experiments! One of them
____wrong and exploded.
was walking
saw
was burning
ran / opened / was sitting / has been doing / had gone
Complete the sentences – use the past perfect and the past
simple once in each sentence.
Yesterday afternoon I had a guitar lesson.
Example: When I had finished (finish) my guitar lesson, I walked (walk) home.
1. We ____(have) dinner after I _____(arrive) home.
had / had arrived
2. I _____ (do) the washing up after we _____(eat) dinner.
did / had eaten
3. When I _____(finish) the washing up, I _____(call) my friend Tina.
had finished / called
4. I _____(do) my homework after I (speak) to Tina.
did / had spoken
5. When I _____(finish) my homework, I _____ (watch) a film.
had finished / watched
Homework:
What did you do yesterday? Write similar sentences as in the previous
exercise using the past perfect and the past simple.
1. Yesterday afternoon I __________________________________.
2. When _______________________________________________.
3. ____________________________________________________.
4. ____________________________________________________.
5._____________________________________________________.
Thank you for your attention !
Continue learning, stay positive, stay safe!