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B1+ · Upper-intermediate15 min

Narrative tenses — all past tenses

Syllabus topic 2: Narrative tenses — all past tenses

Narrative tenses — all past tenses. Narratives use past simple for events, past continuous for background, past perfect simple for earlier completion and past perfect continuous for earlier ongoing activity.

How it works

Narratives use past simple for events, past continuous for background, past perfect simple for earlier completion and past perfect continuous for earlier ongoing activity. Establish the reference time before choosing a perfect tense; avoid shifting every verb unnecessarily.

Examples in context

Notice how each form fits its sentence. Read the context before choosing a form.

  • She was exhausted because she had been travelling all day.
  • When I arrived, they had already left.
  • We were walking when we heard a strange noise.
  • He opened the box and found the letter.
  • At six, the guests were still waiting outside.

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She was exhausted because she had been ___ all day.

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