Narrative tenses revision

Narrative tenses are the past tenses we use to explain

a story / events.

Past simple
Past continuous
Past perfect
 Narrative tenses

* past simple – to describe the main (completed)

actions in the story.

* past continuous – to give the background and to

describe actions in progress.

* past perfect simple/continuous – to talk about past

events that happened before another event in the
past.
 Past simple

We use past simple to talk about completed actions

and states in the past which tell the main events of a
story.

I arrived at the party at 7 o'clock.

I decided to have a glass of wine.
I saw Mary. She was tall and had short hair.
 Past continuous

We use the past continuous to explain the background

information for the story.

The music was playing, some people were dancing and

others were talking.
 Past continuous/past simple

We use the past continuous to explain the background

information for the story. The past simple describes
the individual events.

The music was playing when I arrived. Some people

were dancing and others were talking. Most people
were drinking beer but I decided to have a glass of
wine.
 Past continuous/past simple

We can also use the past simple to explain an action

that interrupts a past continuous.

I was talking to my friend Sarah when I saw Mary.

She was dancing, but suddenly the music stopped.
 Past perfect simple
had + past participle

We use the past perfect to explain an action that was

completed before another action in the story.

When I arrived at the party John had already left.

PAST_________x_______________x________NOW
John left. I arrived.
 Past perfect continuous
had been + gerund

We use the past perfect to explain a longer action that

started before another action in the story.

When I arrived at the party John had been dancing for

hours.

PAST________________________x________NOW
Mary dancing I arrived.
NEF narrative tenses
NEF NEF
1 2 NEF narrative tenses 2