NARRATIVE TENSES
NARRATIVE FORMS
Narrative Tenses are mostly used in writing.
1. Simple Past
2. Past Continuous
3. Simple Past & Simple Past
4. Past Continuous & Past Continuous
5. Simple Past & Past Continuous
6. Past Perfect Simple
Leonardo Palacin Bustamante
1. SIMPLE PAST:
specific time Present
A finished past action at a specific time
Example:
I went to the cinema yesterday.
A: Did you watch Aquaman (last week)?
B: No. I watched another film.
Leonardo Palacin Bustamante
1. SIMPLE PAST:
consecutive actions Present
Routinary past time actions or activities.
Example:
I cycled when I was a teenager.
A: Did you watch cartoons as a child?
B: Of course I did.
Leonardo Palacin Bustamante
2. PAST CONTINUOUS (was/were + verb-ing)
Present
An action in progress at a specific time in the past.
Example:
At 7 pm last night, I was going to the cinema.
A: What were you doing yesterday at 9pm?
B: I was watching Money Heist.
Leonardo Palacin Bustamante
3. SIMPLE PAST & SIMPLE PAST:
1st 2nd Present
A past action after another one (consecutive past actions)
Example: When = After
-When I finished the class, I had lunch.
-She came home when the match ended.
Leonardo Palacin Bustamante
4. PAST CONTINUOUS & PAST CONTINUOUS:
Present
Present
Two parallel ongoing/progressive actions in the past
Example: When = While = As
-When I was playing, my mum was cooking.
-Dorothy was reading while her dad was singing
Leonardo Palacin Bustamante
5. SIMPLE PAST & PAST CONTINUOUS:
Present
A past action in progress interrumpted by another one
Example: When + Simple Past
-She was reading a book when the phone rang. While + Past Cont.
-When the phone rang, she was reading a book.
-The phone rang while she was reading a book.
-While she was reading a book, the phone rang.
Note: In some books, in this section when/while + Past Continuous, but when + Simple Past
Leonardo Palacin Bustamante
6. PAST PERFECT SIMPLE: HAD + P.P.
1st 2nd
Present
The past of the past
By the time
When S. Past , Past Perfect
Before (2nd) (1st)
Example:
1st graduated
2nd bought a car
(Thomas)
Leonardo Palacin Bustamante
6. PAST PERFECT SIMPLE: HAD + P.P.
1st 2nd
Present
The past of the past
By the time
When S. Past , Past Perfect
Before (2nd) (1st)
Example:
1st graduated -By the time Thomas bought a car, he had graduated.
2nd bought a car (2nd) (1st)
(Thomas) -Thomas had graduated by the time he bought a car.
(1st) (2nd) LEPB
After
Past Perfect , S.Past
As soon as
-After Thomas had graduated, he bought a car.
(1st) (2nd)
-Thomas bought a car after he had graduated.
(2nd) (1st)
BECAUSE + PAST PERFECT SO + SIMPLE PAST
-Jessica didn’t go shopping because she had felt ill. -Jessica had felt ill so she didn’t go shopping.
Leonardo Palacin Bustamante
