Complete the text with the correct narrative tense -

Past simple, past continuous or past perfect.

PART 1
There was an old lady who lived on her own in a very foggy part of Dartmoor in England. She
______________(live) alone for fifteen years, ever since her husband ______________ (die) in
a mysterious car accident. This old lady had a passion for jigsaw puzzles and lived in a very
secluded spot. Every night she________________(sit) at her dining room table and worked on
her current jigsaw puzzle until it was finished, then she would start a new one.

However, there ________________(be) a night, a windy, stormy winter night when she ran out
of jigsaw puzzles. She was extremely upset as she had nothing else to do (this was in the days
before TV). She _________________(think) of going up to bed earlier than usual when she
_________________(hear) a noise, as if something _________________(fall) onto her front
door mat.

How does the story go on? Talk to your partner and make predictions!

PART 2
Intrigued, the old lady _____________________ (go) to the door to find that a rectangular parcel
____________________(leave) there and now _________________ (lie), invitingly, on the mat.
She picked it up, carried it to her dining table and opened it to reveal a new jigsaw puzzle! It had
no picture of what it made up on the front but the old lady _________________ (not care). She
was just so happy to have another puzzle to do that she didn’t even care to check who
_________________(send) it.

How does the story go on? Talk to your partner and make predictions!

PART 3
It took her about an hour to complete it, but as she began the get the entire picture she
_____________(realise) to her horror that the picture being made up was that of the very room in
which she now______________(sit) . It was clear that the woman at the table in the picture with
her back to the window was a picture of her!!! Her fingers trembled when she_______________
(take) the last four pieces of the puzzle and put them in the right place. The picture was now
complete …..

How does the story end? Make predictions!

Adapted from http://urbanlegendsonline.com

Key

Part 1
had lived
had died
sat
came
was thinking
heard
had fallen

part 2
went
had been left
lay
didn't care
had sent

part 3
had realised
was sitting
took

Adapted from http://urbanlegendsonline.com