Narratives

When we tell stories, we usually describe the main events in the order they
happened and we use the past simple to do this. For example:
One moment we were in sunshine , the next we saw like a line on the
road ahead and we drove through it and it was hail!
Sometimes we have to use the past perfect and past continuous to show
background information and causes. Read this summary of the story:
When they were driving to Rome, it started to hail. It was terrifying
because they were the biggest hailstones they'd ever seen, so they
pulled over and waited for it to stop.

Narrative Tenses
SIMPLE PAST
To form the simple past, add -ed* to the verb for regular verbs in affirmative
sentences
We use the simple past to:
1 Talk about an action that was completed once in the past.
He talked to the boss yesterday
2 Talk about a past habit or an action that was completed multiple times in the
past.
She walked to school everyday for a month. (She doesn't walk to school
anymore.)
3 Talk about something that was true for some time in the past but isn't true
now.
We worked together in the same office. (We don't work in the same
office anymore)
*for pronunciation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation
-ed is pronounced /id/ after sounds /t/ and /d/ ex: waited, decided
-ed is pronounced /t/ after voiceless consonant sounds ex: stopped, brushed
-ed is pronounced /d/ in all other cases ex: agreed, rained, lived

Use did to form questions and did + not (didn't) to form negatives.
Where did he work?
He didn't talk to me.
There are irregular verbs. Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs change form
unpredictably and need to be memorized.
They ate stake and drank water.
The Past Simple is used to narrate past events in chronological order.
Alice left her family home in the morning and moved to the big city.
What a busy day it was! She sat and looked at the cosy living room
around her. At last the house was hers. She gazed out at the London
skyline with awe.

PAST CONTINUOUS
We form the past continuous with the past tense of be + verb with -ing
We use the past continuous to:
1 Talk about a situation or action that continued for a period of time in the
past and was completed in the past
The workers were repairing the roads last week.
My stomach was hurting after I ate that curry.
2 Talk about two actions that were both happening at the same time in the
past
My roommate was talking on the phone while I was watching a
movie.
3 Talk about an action that happened before, during and after a certain time.
She was driving home at 7:30pm last night.
It was raining when we arrived.

4 Talk about an action that was completed repeatedly in the past, but does not
occur any longer.
He was smoking three packs a day
The Past Continuous is often used in the opening paragraph in narratives to
describe the situation where the action takes place.
I was driving home from work. Nice, relaxing music was coming out
of the radio and I was looking forward to get home and kiss my wife.
5 Sometimes, in a narrative, a writer (or speaker) wants to express the future
as seen from a specific point in the past. This is called the 'future-in-thepast'. This is expressed the Past Continuous or by was going to (+ verb)
Alice smiled as she thought of the evening to come. She was meeting
Peter, and together they were going to see a play at the Adelphi
Theatre.
Would (+ verb) is also used to express the-future-in-the-past, but is
restricted to a literary style and is rarely used in spoken English.
She looked around the room, wondering where to put the pictures. She
would hang her favourite watercolour above the fire-place, but would
have to think carefully about the others.

PAST PERFECT
We form the past perfect with the past tense of have + past participle
The Past Perfect is used to express an action that happened before a definite
time in the past. A writer can use it to re-order the events of a narrative for
dramatic effect. (It's like a 'flashback' in the movies)
Alice sat and looked at the cosy living room around her. At last the house
was hers. What a busy day it had been! She had left her family home
in the morning and had moved to the big city. She gazed at the London
skyline with awe.
Notice that had need not be repeated if the subject of both verbs is the same.
She had said goodbye to her mother and (had) caught the train to
London.

It is not always essential to use the Past Perfect. If it is clear that the events
described in the time clause took place before the one in the main clause, the
Past Simple can be used.
After she said goodbye to her mother, she caught the train to London.
If it is important to show that the first action was completed before the second
one began, the Past Perfect must be used.
When she had raised sufficient capital, she put in an offer on the
house.
For reasons of style, it is unnecessary to have to many verbs in the Past
Perfect one after another. Once the time aspect of 'past in the past' has been
established, the Past Simple can be used as long as there is no ambiguity.
The furniture suited the room perfectly. She had been to auction rooms
looking for just the right period pieces, and had found some excellent
examples of Regency workmanship. She bought them at good prices,
and didn't pay more than five hundred pounds for anything

Time markers
There are many words and expressions to refer to time. You can use these to
sequence events and to make stories and anecdotes more interesting.
1 Talking about a period of time in the past
My mother started work as a nurse in the 1960s.
In those days she lived in London.
Back then nurses were badly paid.
At that time, nurses lived in special accommodation.
2 Talking about a single event in the past
At one time she lost her door key and had to stay in a hotel.
On one occasion she nursed the son of a famous politician.
3 Sequencing events in the past
There are many ways to sequence events in the past. Here are some of the
more common ones.
After (in the middle of a sentence)
Afterwards / After that / After a while (at the beginning of a sentence)
Then / Before (in the middle or at the beginning of a sentence)

Before that / Previously / Until then (At the beginning of a sentence)

By the time (in the middle of a sentence followed by a past perfect
tense)
By then / by that time (at the beginning of a sentence)
I went shopping after I finished work.
I worked all day in the office. Afterwards / After that, I went
shopping.
I went shopping. After a while, I got bored.
I worked before I went shopping.
I went shopping at 6pm. Before that / Previously / Until then I had
worked all day in the office.
I worked all day, then I went shopping.
I was desperate to go shopping by the time I had finished work.
I worked until 6pm. By then / By that time, I was glad for the
opportunity to go shopping.
4 Other expressions to refer to the next event in a story
Later on
Before long
At that moment / Suddenly
Meanwhile
At the same time
Simultaneously (a more formal way of saying meanwhile / at the same time)
I worked and then went shopping. Later on I met some friends for
pizza.
I waited for a while in the restaurant. Before long, the waiter came up
and asked me
At that moment / Suddenly, I heard the door slam.
Meanwhile / At the same time / Simultaneously my phone started
to ring.

Adverbs to make stories more vivid

We can make our stories and anecdotes more interesting, appealing and
attractive adding some adverbs like:
Suddenly, incredibly, angrily, quickly, happily, violently...
The man angrily got in the car. He frantically drove his car to the old
house. He ferociously walked up to the door and loudly knocked on it.
The door opened violently.