Meaning and use
We use narrative tenses to talk about the past. We can use them to tell a story or to describe past events, including personal anecdotes.
- When I lived on the island, I enjoyed walking on the beach in the early morning with Bonnie - my best friend and my dog.
- Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939 after Germany had attacked Poland two days earlier. Britain had been trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement.
The four narrative tenses are the past simple, past continuous, past perfect and past perfect continuous and one or more of these can be used in a sentence.
- We were walking as usual one day, when all of a sudden, Bonnie shot off. She started to bark furiously. I saw a man sleeping face down on the sand. Bonnie continued to bark, but the man didn’t wake up. He wasn’t sleeping; he was dead. It was clear that the storm had washed up the body.
Past simple
We can use the past simple for actions that started and finished in the past, for example a series of events in someone’s life.
- Nelson Mandela was born in 1918. He became the first black President of South Africa. He spent 27 years in prison in his battle against the system of apartheid.
The past simple is often used in stories and dialogue, too.
- When Bobby went down for breakfast, Matt looked up.
- “Did you hear the storm last night?”
- Bobby didn’t answer.
- “Your brother went out last night. He didn’t come back. Do you know where he went?”
- Bobby’s heart sank. She knew exactly where Dan had gone…
Past continuous
We use the past continuous for background information and to describe a scene or situation that continued for some time.
- At 6 o’clock that evening Dan was still missing. Bobby was feeling worried.
- Bonnie was barking loudly.
Past simple and past continuous
We often use the past simple and past continuous together when one action interrupts another.
- I was strolling along the beach one day when suddenly, Bonnie ran off.
- It was still raining when Bobby woke up the next morning. Dan was sitting at the table when she went into the kitchen.
Past simple and past perfect
We can use the past perfect with the past simple together in a sentence to describe an action that happened before another past action.
- I quickly realised that the storm the previous night had washed up the body.
- Bobby knew that Dan hadn’t wanted to come home but she also knew that he hadn’t had any other option.
Past perfect continuous
We use this tense to describe something that has been happening over a long period of time.
- I could tell that the body had been lying on the beach for several hours because the man’s clothes were dry.
- Britain had been trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement between Poland and Germany.
Take note: linking devices
When we tell a story in the past, we often use linking words or phrases to join two or more sentences or clauses. This helps the narrative to flow in a more interesting and natural way. Some linking phrases and words show a sequence of events or actions.
- Nelson Mandela never gave up on his struggle against apartheid. As the years went by, his fame spread to every corner of the world. In the end, under enormous global pressure, the government had no option but to release him.
Other linking words and phrases that signal order of events are: First of all …, Then …, Next …, Finally …, After that …, After several months/days/hours/weeks …, By the time …, All of a sudden …
We also use linking words and phrases in dialogue to indicate interest in what is being said and to keep the conversation flowing.
- So how did you meet your wife?
- Well, it’s a strange story: what happened was I was training as a paramedic and one day we got a call to a house in East Street.
- Oh, my cousin lives there! …
- Really? … So, anyway, when we arrived in East Street, another ambulance was already there!
- So what happened?
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