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B2 · Pre-advanced15 min

Narrative tenses / used to / would

Syllabus topic 1: Narrative tenses / used to / would

Narrative tenses / used to / would. Narrative tenses establish event order and background; used to describes former habits or states, while would can describe repeated past actions after a past setting is established.

How it works

Narrative tenses establish event order and background; used to describes former habits or states, while would can describe repeated past actions after a past setting is established. A single completed event normally uses past simple. Past perfect continuous can explain a later past result.

Examples in context

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

  • She was exhausted because she had been working all night.
  • We used to own a cottage before moving abroad.
  • Every evening that summer, he would sit by the lake.
  • When we arrived, the audience had already left.
  • He opened the parcel and read the note.

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She was exhausted because she had been ___ all night.

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