Narrative TensesC

• Foreign language
• Tertiary Education

Narrative tenses

Unit 14, p. 126

Narrative tenses

Narrative tenses are verb tenses used to tell stories.

They are:

- Past simple

- Past continuous

- Past perfect

Read the story and decide which of the headlines fits best?

1. What a waste of money!
2. Never borrow money from your friends.
3. Greedy George can't stop spending.

Which verb is past simple?

George was looking at his bank account when he noticed an extra £100,000 in it.

1. was looking
2. noticed

Past simple

Subject   +    V2

Which verb is past continuous?

George was looking at his bank account when he noticed an extra £100,000 in it.

1. was looking
2. noticed

Past continuous

was / were   +    verb -ing

Which verb is past perfect?

When the bank realised their mistake, George had spent £85,000.

1. realised
2. had spent

Past perfect

had    +   V3

Look at the uses of the three different narrative tenses. Match them with the correct tense.

To talk about the main actions in a story.

To talk about actions which happened
before the main events in a story.

To talk about actions which describe
the background to a story.

Past continuous

Past simple

Past perfect

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

1. __________________

1. was making
2. made

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

2. __________________

1. had hidden
2. hid

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

3. __________________

1. had happened
2. was happening

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

4. __________________

1. phoned
2. was phoning

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

5. __________________

1. were burning
2. had burnt

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

6. __________________

1. was working
2. worked

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

7. __________________

1. walked
2. was walking

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

8. __________________

1. had given
2. gave

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

9. __________________

1. ran
2. was running

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

10. __________________

1. had left
2. left

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

11. __________________

1. won
2. had won

Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the verb.

12. __________________

1. had painted
2. was painting

Well done. 

Now go back to Google Classroom and click 'mark as done' / 'hand in'