2.

1 Narrative forms

1 A narrative is a story or a description of past events.

2 We usually use three different verbs forms when we tell stories: the past simple,
the past continuous and the past perfect. Which verb forms can you see?

past simple past perfect

I said ‘goodnight’ to the children and switched off their light. We needed to get up
early the next day, so we had packed our bags and had prepared everything ready to
leave at 6 a.m. I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. The wind was howling
and something was banging outside. I went downstairs quietly to see what was
making the noise. I was sure I had locked the back door before I had gone to bed
that night.

past continuous

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 2.1 Narrative forms

1 We use the past simple to describe the main events in a narrative.

1 She picked up the phone and called an ambulance.

2 They watched the robber outside the bank, and then they arrested him.

2 Most past simple verb forms add -ed, but many common verbs are irregular.

take took sleep slept wake woke put put have had

3 We form the negative and questions in the past simple with did and the infinitive.

1 I didn’t see him. NOT I didn’t saw him.

2 Did you wait? NOT You waited?

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 2.1 Narrative forms

1 We use the past continuous to describe background events and situations. We

also use the past continuous to contrast longer actions with shorter ones.

2 We form the past continuous with was/were and the -ing form of the main verb.

1 We were walking in the park while the children were playing.

2 The sun was shining and the birds were singing.
3 They were watching the match when the phone rang.

3 We form the negative past continuous with was/were not. We form questions by
changing the order of the subject and was/were.

1 He wasn’t looking when he stepped into the road. What was he thinking?
2 Where were you going when I saw you last night?
3 We weren’t having dinner; we were only having a drink when you saw us.

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 2.1 Narrative forms

1 We use the past perfect to describe things that happened before the main events
in the story or before the time of the story.

1 I had never been to Africa before, so I was excited when the plane landed.
2 She hadn’t met him before the party.
3 We’d spoken on the phone that morning.

2 We form the past perfect with had + past participle. We make the negative form
with had + not. We often use contractions ’d and hadn’t.

3 We form questions by changing the order of the subject and had.

1 Had you ever seen that man before?

2 Had they left before you arrived?

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 2.1 Narrative forms

1 Choose the correct options to complete the sentences.

1 They had never seen/never saw such a big hotel.

2 The boat had hit/hit a rock, there was/had been a rush of water and it had sunk/sank.

3 Snow was falling/fell and people were hurrying/hurried home as quickly as possible.

4 We had realized/realized our mistake five minutes after we had arrived/arrived.

5 Just as we were driving/drove back home, we saw/were seeing the fire engine
outside our house.

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