Narrative Tenses: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect

• We use narrative tenses together to tell stories about the past. They help us show which actions happened at the same time, which action was interrupted, and which action happened first.
• Tense
• Form
• Use in a story
• Example
• Past Simple
• verb + -ed or irregular
• Main completed actions in sequence
• We drove to Austin.
• Past Continuous
• was/were + verb-ing
• An action in progress at a specific moment or an interrupted background action
• It was raining hard.
• Past Perfect
• had + past participle
• An action that happened before another action in the past
• We had packed our bags before we left.
• Remember
• Use the past simple for the main storyline and a sequence of completed events.
• Use the past continuous for longer background actions that were happening when something else occurred.
• Use the past perfect to look further back in time to an event that happened before the main past story.
• Often, we use 'when' with the past simple and 'while' with the past continuous.
• Examples
• While we were driving to Seattle, the car broke down.
• When Sarah arrived at the hotel, her friends had already ordered dinner.
• The electrician fixed the wiring after the storm knocked down the wall.
• Common mistakes
• When I arrived, they ate dinner.
• When I arrived, they were eating dinner.
• By the time we reached Boston, the rain stopped.
• By the time we reached Boston, the rain had stopped.

Complete the sentences

• While Mark (drive) ____ through Chicago, he saw an amazing concert venue.
• Emily (already / leave) ____ the house when the storm started.
• They (notice) ____ the flat battery when they tried to start the engine in Denver.
• What (you / do) ____ when the lights went out in the room?
• David (not / know) ____ the road because he had never visited Portland before.
• As soon as we (reach) ____ the roadside, a friendly driver stopped.

Sources: photo by Edalisu . on Pexels