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Narrative Tenses | What Are They And How To Teach Them

If you want to tell stories or describe past events in English, then you need to know about narrative tenses . In this guide, you will learn what narrative tenses are, the different kinds of narrative tenses, and how to use them naturally to tell stories and talk about things that happened in the past. We will also detail some fun narrative tense activities, so no matter if you’re learning or teaching narrative tenses, we’ve got you covered!

What Are Narrative Tenses?

Narrative tenses are verb tenses that you use when you tell a story that happened in the past. These tenses are typically used to talk about historical events, recent actions, and even biographical information. So, you’ll find them in textbooks, stories, and spoken accounts.

What Are The Four Narrative Tenses?

The four narrative tenses are past simple , past continuous , past perfect, and past perfect continuous . Let’s look at each of these tenses one by one.

1. Past Simple

The past simple tense is used to talk about a certain action or event that took place at a specific point in the past. Here are some past simple example sentences:

  • I visited Italy last summer.
  • Mum cooked lasagne for dinner.
  • I didn’t go to school yesterday.
  • Last year, I went to Korea.
  • I watched a movie yesterday with Kelly.

2. Past Continuous

The past continuous tense is used to talk about an action or event that was in progress at a specific point in the past. Here are some past continuous example sentences:

  • I was cooking dinner when Chris called.
  • It was raining yesterday.
  • Kelly was studying English last night.
  • The students were running in the classroom.
  • We were eating sushi in the restaurant.

3. Past Perfect

The past perfect tense is used to talk about an event or action that was completed before a certain point in the past. Here are some past perfect example sentences:

  • The train had departed by the time I got to the station.
  • After Kelly had finished her homework, she played computer games.
  • I had known about it for quite a while.
  • I had just eaten a whole pizza, so I wasn’t hungry.
  • Mom had gone to work when I arrived home.

4. Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous tense is used to talk about an event or action that was happening in the past and continued up until a certain point in the past. Here are some past perfect continuous example sentences:

  • I had been living in Italy for five years when I decided to move back home.
  • Kelly had been exercising every day before she got injured.
  • My father had been working at the same company since 1995.
  • Chris had been studying hard for three hours before he fell asleep.
  • Craig was very tired. He had been running for an hour.

Activities To Teach Narrative Tenses

Now that we know what narrative tenses are and the different kinds of narrative tenses let’s look at some fun activities to teach narrative tenses.

1. The “Ask Your Partner” Game

This first game to teach narrative tenses is really simple and needs almost no preparation. First, prepare a list of questions and write them on the board. These questions should require an answer in one of the narrative tenses. The particular questions you write on the board depends on which narrative tenses you wish to practice. Here are some examples you can use:

  • What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
  • What were you doing before class today?
  • How long have you been living in your current house?
  • What countries have you visited?

Once you have the questions on the board, give students 5 minutes or so to ask and answer these questions with their partners. Next, have students share with the class the answers their partners gave. This simple activity gives students the chance to practice talking using narrative tenses with their partners and to practice changing narrative tense sentences into the third person as they report on what their partners did.

2. The “Story” Game

This next narrative tense activity requires a little preparation. Prepare a short story about something that took place in the past and use lots of narrative tense sentences. Next, divide the story into sentences/paragraphs and write them on many different cards. The number of cards you use depends on how many are in your class.

Once you have the story written down on the cards, mix the cards up and give one card to each student. Next, ask students to walk around the class and work with their classmates to piece together the story in the correct order. If you have a particularly large class, you can have students complete the activity in teams.

3. Narrative Tense Exercise

In order to master narrative tenses, students need lots and lots of practice. A great way to practice is with narrative tense exercises. It is quite simple to make your own narrative tense exercise. Just create ten or so sentences with blank spaces and ask students to choose the correct narrative tense form.

Here is a fun narrative tense quiz to get you started. There are ten sentences written in either the past simple, past continuous, past perfect, or the past perfect continuous tense. You must read the sentences and then choose the correct past tense form to fill in the blank. For more exercises like this, check out our English grammar exercises and our interactive English quizzes .

Narrative Tenses Quiz

I didn't get any sleep because I ___________ TV all night.

I ___________ Italy last summer.

The train ______________ by the time I got to the station.

I ____________ in France for 1 year when I finally found a job.

Yesterday, I _________ my friends for lunch.

I knew Kelly ___________ because her eyes were all red.

I _________ TV when you called last night.

Mum _________ lasagne for dinner. It was delicious.

My father ____________ at the same company for 20 years when he got fired.

After I ___________ my homework, I played computer games.

Your score is

Restart quiz

Related Resources

Thanks for reading. Before you go, be sure to check out these related resources on narrative tenses that you might find useful: Past Simple Exercises How To Teach The Past Simple Past Continuous Exercises

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Narrative tenses

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Narrative tenses

Narrative tenses are verb tenses that are used to talk about the past.

Woman looking at a graphic novel

They are often found in stories and descriptions of past events, such as personal anecdotes.

Example The following are examples of narrative tenses: Past simple - 'We left on a rainy day' Past continuous - 'It was pouring down even at midday' Past perfect - 'It had rained off and on for ten days' Past perfect continuous - 'We had been waiting to escape for what seemed ages'

In the classroom Activities used to practise narrative tenses include gap fills , dictations, story writing and reading, ordering jumbled text, and re-writing events starting at the end.

Further links: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/your-year-review https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/telling-a-story https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/alien-abduction https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/creative-group-writing https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/catch-a-thief-past-simple-past-continuous-practice

Research and insight

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Narrative Tenses Quiz

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British Council

Classroom activities to teach narrative tenses, by mike astbury, 12 may 2017 - 17:50.

'Once you have a set of cards, they can be adapted and reused with counters and pencils.' Image (c) fielperson, licensed under CC0 and adapted from the original.

fielperson, licensed under CC0 and adapted from the original .

Are you looking for new grammar games for the classroom? Multiple winner of the Teaching English blog award Mike Astbury shares some resources to download, print, and use in your class.

What are narrative tenses?

Narrative tenses are verb tenses that are used to talk about the past. You can often find them in stories, textbooks, spoken accounts and in descriptions of past events.

The following are examples of narrative tenses:

Past simple: 'We  left  for the airport on an exceptionally sunny day.'

Past continuous: 'The sun  was shining  and it was really hot by midday.'

Past perfect: 'It  had been  sunny on and off for the previous fortnight.'

Past perfect continuous: 'We  had been waiting  at the airport for what seemed like an eternity.'

Activities to practise narrative tenses 

The following games are designed to help students practise narrative tenses and don’t require teacher supervision. They need at least two players.

The games use 16 cards, which tell a short story when combined together. Each card has an example of a sentence using narrative tenses. Each sentence tells part of the story.

You can  download a PDF template of all the cards, game boards and blank templates needed for all the games, and print them. Or, if you would prefer to make your own, write the following 16 sentences on 16 separate cards (one card per sentence).

  • It was raining outside when Sam got out of bed and looked out of the window.
  • He picked up his phone and sent a text to his friend James: 'No football today. How about going to the cinema?'
  • While he was waiting for a reply, Sam brushed his teeth, had a shower and got dressed.
  • After he finished getting ready, he checked his phone and saw that James had replied.
  • James said he wanted to play football anyway and he didn't care about the rain.
  • Sam changed his mind and decided he wanted to play too, and left the house to join James in the park.
  • While he was walking to the park, James met two of his other friends and invited them along.
  • When they all arrived, they saw that James had found some other kids to play with, and they had enough people for a full match.
  • While they were playing football, it stopped raining anyway and Sam was really happy he hadn't gone to the cinema.
  • After the game, Sam went home. On the way, he stopped at a shop to buy something for his lunch.
  • He was about to pay when he realised he had forgotten to take his wallet when he had left the house.
  • He apologised and left the shop. Sam felt hungry but he knew that he had plenty of food at home.
  • He was walking home, thinking about the goals he had scored that day, when he saw his mum drive past.
  • She saw him and stopped the car to give him a ride home. She had been working all morning, but she was in a good mood.
  • Sam sat back in his seat and looked forward to having his lunch. He was having a great day.
  • When they arrived, Sam cooked lunch for the whole family.

A. Warm-up activity

The aim of the first activity is to become familiar with the story of Sam and James playing a game of football. This story is used in different ways for all of the games.

  • Print a copy of the first page of cards from the PDF template.
  • Cut up the cards.
  • Shuffle the cards.
  • Work together with another student to put the story in the right order.
  • Check your answer (the correct order is on page two of the template).Then, flip all of the cards face-down and try to retell the story in your own words.

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The next activity is done in pairs to test your understanding of narrative tenses. You need at least two players.

Print one copy each of page two and three of the PDF template for this exercise.

These are card templates. Each card has one of the 16 sentences above, but the narrative tense is missing on the question side.

For example, 'While they... ( play ) football, it stopped raining and Sam was really happy he hadn't gone to the cinema.'

The missing narrative tense of the verb in this instance is 'were playing'.

  • Cut up the cards, but don’t cut along the dotted lines. These are fold lines to make the cards double-sided. I glue them together with card to make them more durable.
  • Take turns to draw a card and hold it, so that the answer side is facing you and the question side is facing the other player.
  • If the player is able to read the sentence with the correct form of the verb, they win the card and keep it to represent their score. If you make a mistake, the card goes to the bottom of the pile of cards.
  • Continue until you’ve used all of the cards. Whoever has the most cards wins.

C. Connect Three

This game is for two players. Use the same cards as before, and also print the game board on page five of the template.

  • Using the same cards as the quiz (pages two and three of the PDF template), take turns to draw a card. Only look at the question side.
  • Try to read the sentence aloud, including the correct form of the verb.
  • Check the other side of the card, which has the correct sentence. If you were correct, choose a square and mark it as yours (using a pencil or counter).
  • The first player to connect three squares in a line is the winner.

D. Narrative tense 'blockbusters'

This game is adapted from the UK television game show  Blockbusters . It is played with two players: one player tries to connect four cards horizontally, and the other player vertically. This activity also uses the game board on page five.

  • Place all of the cards on the board in a random order, with the question side facing up.
  • Take it in turns to read a sentence aloud with the correct form of the verb.
  • Check the other side of the card. If you are correct, mark the square below as yours (using a pencil or counters) and remove the card from the board.
  • If you are wrong, put the card back.
  • The first player to connect along their axis wins. Connections can also be diagonal.

Making your own version

Now that you’ve practised narrative tenses, you should be ready to write your own story. You could use the blank template on page six of the PDF template to make your own version of the game cards.

You can prepare them in PowerPoint or just print the templates and write on them directly.

Game cards are reusable

The cards can be time-consuming to make initially, but once you have a set of cards, they can be adapted and reused with counters and pencils again and again. You could try making card sets with your students, which may be a more motivating reason for students to write a story, as it will be used by other students.

Visit Mike's blog,  Teaching Games , for more great ideas.

Visit our  TeachingEnglish website  for more lesson plans and activities.

Use our collection of  learning resources  about life and culture around the world. 

You might also be interested in

  • How to keep your students motivated
  • Five tips for using authentic video in the classroom
  • Five fun activities to teach prepositions

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Past Tenses – Free Exercise

Choose the correct options so that each tense appears once (s imple past, past progressive, past perfect simple, past perfect progressive).

  • We   went were going had gone had been going to the cinema last week. standard past tense action (signal: last week ) → simple past
  • Once we   chose were choosing had chosen had been choosing our food, the waiter took our order. action that happened before a second past action (signal: once )|action 1: choosing food; action 2: order taken → past perfect simple
  • I saw a lovely dress while I   shopped was shopping had shopped had been shopping , maybe I’ll go back and buy it. action that was already in progress when another action occurred (signal: while ) → past progressive
  • When their mum got home, the boys   watched were watching had watched had been watching TV for two hours. duration of an action up to a second past action (signal: for ) → past perfect progressive

Complete the sentences using the verbs in brackets and the following tenses: simple past, past progressive, past perfect simple, past perfect progressive.

  • A plumber (come)     to our house yesterday. standard past action (signal: yesterday ) → simple past
  • He (want)     to repair our washing machine that (break)     a few days before. 1. normal narrative past form → simple past|2. action that occurred prior to another point in the past (signal: before ) → past perfect simple
  • Before he (ring)     at my door, he (look)     for a parking space for about ten minutes. 1. normal narrative past form → s imple past|2. duration of an action up to a second past action (signal: before; for about ten minutes → past perfect progressive}
  • While the plumber (repair)   the washing machine, I (watch)     the news. simultaneous past actions (signal: while ) → past progressive
  • Suddenly, I (realise)     that they (show)     our street on TV. 1. newly occurring action → simple past|2. background action that was already in progress → past progressive
  • The reporter (say)     that a car (crash)     into a stop sign just before reaching the crossroads. 1. reporting verb → simple past|2. action that occurred prior to a second past action → past perfect simple
  • While I (listen)     carefully to what (happen)     , someone (knock)     at my door. 1. action that was ongoing when other actions occurred (signal: while ) → past progressive|2. referring to events that occurred prior to a certain point in the past → past perfect simple|3. newly-occurring action → simple past|past progressive here would sound as if the person had been knocking on the door the whole time
  • I (open)     the door and (see)     a police officer standing there. 1. & 2. sequential past actions → simple past
  • He (ask)     for the plumber. sequential past action → simple past
  • It (be)     our plumber’s car that (roll)     down the street. 1. normal narrative past form → simple past|2. action that occurred prior to a second past action → past perfect simple
  • In his haste, the plumber (forget)     to put the handbrake on. action that occurred prior to a second point in the past → past perfect simple

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Lesson Share: Grammar: Narrative tenses

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Rachael Nobbs encourages students to invent their own tales with her winning Lesson Share entry that practises the past tenses and features a mysterious urban myth …

Narrative tenses: Lesson plan

  • Integrated Skills
  • Lesson Plan / Teacher's Notes
  • Up to 90 mins
  • Upper-Intermediate

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English Grammar Online Exercises and Downloadable Worksheets

Online exercises.

This section is all about English tenses. It contains exercises on every tense - simple and progressive - as well as a section with mixed tense exercises.

Levels of Difficulty : Elementary Intermediate Advanced

Present Tense

  • T132 - Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T127 - Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Intermediate
  • T095 - Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T080 - Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T075 - Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T068 - Past Tense - Simple Elementary
  • T067-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T065-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T058-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T054-Global Warming Intermediate
  • T014-Where's Linda Intermediate
  • T013-Help Preserve Our Town Intermediate
  • T012-Rex- Our Dog Intermediate
  • T011-A Trekking Journey Intermediate
  • T010-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T009-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T008-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T007-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T006-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Intermediate
  • T005-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T004-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T003-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T002-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Elementary
  • T001-Present Tense - Simple or Progressive Intermediate
  • T124 - Past Tense - Simple and Progressive Intermediate
  • T105 - Past Tense - Simple and Continuous Elementary
  • T101 - The Wrong Person - Past Tense Simple and Continuous Elementary
  • T100 - Past Tense Continuous Elementary
  • T086 - Past Tense - Simple and Progressive Intermediate
  • T084 - Holidays in Greece Elementary
  • T081 - Past Tense - Simple and Progressive Intermediate
  • T064-Tom's double Elementary
  • T063 - Past Continuous Tense Elementary
  • T019-The Cold English Sea Intermediate
  • T018-Kidnapped by a UFO Intermediate
  • T017-Past Tense - Simple or Progressive Intermediate
  • T016-Past Tense - Simple or Progressive Advanced
  • T015-Past Tense - Simple or Progressive Intermediate

Present Perfect

  • T142 - Present Perfect Tense - Simple and Continuous Intermediate
  • T141 - Present Perfect Tense - Simple and Continuous Intermediate
  • T140 - Present Perfect Tense - Simple and Continuous Intermediate
  • T134 - Present Perfect Progressive Elementary
  • T0125 - Present Perfect Tense - Simple Elementary
  • T0118 - Present Perfect Tense - Simple Elementary
  • T0117 - Present Perfect Tense - Simple Elementary
  • T087 - Present Perfect Tense - Simple Elementary
  • T083 - Present Perfect Simple and Continuous Elementary
  • T077 - Present Perfect Simple and Continuous Intermediate
  • T076 - Present Perfect Simple and Continuous Intermediate
  • T020-Present Perfect Simple or Progressive Intermediate
  • T073 - Present Perfect Continuous Elementary

Present Perfect - Past Tense

  • T129 - Mira and I Elementary
  • T115 - Past and Present Perfect Simple Elementary
  • T108 - Past and Present Perfect Simple Elementary
  • T106 - My Little Sister Elementary
  • T104 - Predictions of the Future Intermediate
  • T098 - Past Simple and Present Perfect Tense Intermediate
  • T096 - Past Simple and Present Perfect Tense Elementary
  • T078 - Letter to Ellen - Present Perfect and Past Tense Elementary
  • T070 - Past and Present Perfect Tense Elementary
  • T023-FOR and SINCE Elementary
  • T022-FOR and SINCE Elementary
  • T021-Past - Present Perfect Tense Intermediate

Past Perfect Tense

  • T131 Past and Past Perfect Tense Intermediate
  • T110 Past and Past Perfect Tense Intermediate
  • T109 - Past Perfect Tense Intermediate
  • T093 - Past and Past Perfect Tense Intermediate
  • T079 - Past and Past Perfect Tense Elementary
  • T061- A Hurt Foot - Past and Past Perfect Tense Elementary
  • T057-Past and Past Perfect Tense Elementary

Future Tense

  • T126 - Future Perfect Tense Intermediate
  • T122 - Future Forms Elementary
  • T069 - Future Simple and Progressive , Future Perfect Intermediate
  • T060 - Wind Farms - Future Tenses Elementary
  • T059-Homes of the Future - Future, Future Continuous and Future Perfect Intermediate
  • T139 - All Tenses Intermediate
  • T138 - All Tenses Intermediate
  • T137 - All Tenses Intermediate
  • T136 - All Tenses Intermediate
  • T135 - All Tenses Intermediate
  • T133 - All Tenses Intermediate
  • T130 - An Emergency Landing Intermediate
  • T128-Going Fishing - Past Tenses Intermediate
  • T119 - A Job Offer Elementary
  • T116 - Present and Present Perfect Tense Intermediate
  • T114 - Mixed Tenses Intermediate
  • T113 - Growing Up in Two Cultures Intermediate
  • T112 - My Life As A Model Intermediate
  • T111 - Back to Germany Elementary
  • T107 - Present and Present Perfect Tense Elementary
  • T099 - Tenses - Multiple Choice Intermediate
  • T097 - Stranger in the Car Elementary
  • T094 - A Letter From Paris Elementary
  • T091 - All Tenses Intermediate
  • T090 - All Tenses Intermediate
  • T089 - Lost in the Mountains Advanced
  • T085 - All Tenses Intermediate
  • T082 - Meeting an Old Family Friend - All tenses Elementary
  • T074 - Narrative Tenses Intermediate
  • T072 - A Once Famous Film Star Elementary
  • T071 - The Lost Passport - Past Simple and Continuous, Past Perfect Tense Elementary
  • T066- Our neighbours Elementary
  • T056-All tenses - Past and Present Perfect Intermediate
  • T055-All tenses - Present , Past and Present Perfect Advanced
  • T053-All tenses Intermediate
  • T052-All tenses Intermediate
  • T050-My Piano Lessons Elementary
  • T043-All Tenses Advanced
  • T042-All Tenses Intermediate
  • T041-All Tenses Intermediate
  • T040-All Tenses Intermediate
  • T039-All Tenses Advanced
  • T038-All Tenses Intermediate
  • T037-All Tenses Intermediate
  • T036-All Tenses Advanced
  • T035-All Tenses Advanced
  • T034-All Tenses Advanced
  • T033-All Tenses Advanced
  • T032-All Tenses Intermediate
  • T031-All Tenses Advanced
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Narrative tenses

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Narrative tenses

english grammar exercises narrative tenses

A1 – Elementary

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Narrative tenses – B2 English Grammar Test

  • Grammar Tests for B2

1a   Match the sentence beginnings (1–7) and endings (A–G).

1   I had already learned some Italian … B …

2   While you were out working

3   We sold our big house and

4   My bike chain broke

5   By the time it was dark in the forest

6   In the late 1990s my father was

7   We’d been playing in the mud so

A   moved to an apartment in the centre.

B   before we moved to Rome.

C   as I was cycling home.

D   working for the FBI.

E    a package arrived for you.

F    we had put up our tent and made a campfire.

G   our clothes were pretty dirty.

2 E   3 A   4 C   5 F   6 D   7 G

1b   Answer the question.

Which sentences feature an action interrupting another action?

…………………………………………………..

Sentences 2 and 4 feature an action interrupting another action.

2   Choose the correct option to complete the sentences.

1   I took the lid off the box and had looked / looked / was looking inside.

2   While I had played / played / was playing video games, I heard a big crack of thunder.

3   She was never going / had never been / never went skiing until her uncle took her to the Alps.

4   He grabbed the ball off me and threw / was throwing / had thrown it into the river.

5   Earlier that afternoon I rehearsed / was rehearsing / had been rehearsing for the school play.

6   By the time Fran was twelve she was passing / passed / had passed all her piano exams.

7   Harry was having his breakfast when he heard / had heard / was hearing the news.

8   I dropped the plate but luckily it didn’t break / hadn’t broken / wasn’t breaking .

2   was playing

3   had never been

5   had been rehearsing

6   had passed

8   didn’t break

3   Add one word to each sentence to make it correct.

1   My pronunciation was terrible as I spoken German for a long time.

      ……My pronunciation was terrible as I hadn’t spoken German for a long time. ……

2   It was the first time I ever ridden a horse.

      ……………………………………………………….

3   The bus broke down while we travelling back from the concert.

4   By the time the doctor saw me, we had waiting for three hours.

5   He noticed that a mosquito bitten him during the night.

6   So you saw the snake, and then what you do?

7   I couldn’t print the story because the printer working.

8   At that time she living with her aunt and uncle.

2   I had ever ridden

3   we were travelling

4   we had been waiting

5   mosquito had bitten

6   what did you do?

7   printer wasn’t working

8   she was living

4  Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in the box.

1   I suddenly noticed that everyone …… was looking …… at me.

2   Christy ……………………… to drive for two years before she finally passed her test.

3   We didn’t want to leave because we ……………………… such a good time.

4   It was the first time I ……………………… to another country without my parents.

5   He fell off the bed and ……………………… his head on the wardrobe.

6   I walked straight into the shop and ……………………… the first coat I saw.

7   I got completely soaked as I ……………………… to bring an umbrella.

8   She twisted her ankle while she ……………………… basketball.

2   had been learning

3   were having

4   had travelled

7   had forgotten

8   was playing

5  Find and correct nine more mistakes in the story.

It was being a cold day last winter and Sammy had waited for the train. After twenty minutes, it finally arrived. The doors opened and he was getting on. At that moment he realised that he was leaving his wallet at school (he played football outside before he left). He turned around and tried to get off the train, but it was too late. The doors already closed. He was finding a seat and sat down, feeling nervous. Five minutes later, the ticket inspector came along and had said to him, ‘Tickets please’. ‘I’m sorry. I left my wallet at school,’ Sammy was replying. ‘You’d better get off at the next stop then,’ said the inspector. Sammy got off and had to walk all the rest of the way in the freezing cold. When he got to his front door, he reached inside his jacket, and there, next to his door key, was … his wallet! It was being inside his pocket the whole time.

2    had waited    was waiting

3    was getting on    got on

4    was leaving    had left

5    played    had been playing

6    already closed    had already closed / were already closing

7    was finding    found

8    had said    said

9    was replying    replied

10    was being    had been

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  • B2 English Grammar Test – Multiple-choice Test 38
  • B2 English Grammar Test – Multiple-choice Test 37
  • B2 English Grammar Test – Multiple-choice Test 36

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  4. Narrative tenses warmer, filler…: English ESL worksheets pdf & doc

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COMMENTS

  1. Narrative tenses

    Exercise 1 Choose the correct narrative tenses to complete the sentences below. Page 1 of 2 1 I told John not to drive, because he _____ all night. a. drank b. was drinking c. had drunk d. had been drinking 2 Why did you change the channel? I ______ that movie. a. watched b. was watching c. had watched d. had been watching

  2. Unit 2

    Students > Solutions > Advanced > Grammar > Unit 2 - Exercise 2 - Narrative tenses. Speaking English; Grammar Unit 2 - Exercise 2 - Narrative tenses. Choose the correct answer. ...

  3. T074

    We on the beach when it to rain ( SIT, START ). Simon returned the money he a week earlier ( BORROW) While I was shopping my purse ( STEAL) My letter did not arrive because I to put a stamp on it ( FORGET) While he across Central Africa, John caught Malaria. ( TRAVEL) When I woke up a man next to me, asking my name. ( STAND)

  4. PDF Narrative Tenses Practice

    Students then match the four narrative tenses to their descriptions. Exercise B - Answer key 1. past perfect 3. past simple 2. past perfect continuous 4. past continuous Next, students use prompts to create sentences using the narrative tenses. Exercise C - Answer key 1. I had been playing football for years before I broke my leg. 2. While I ...

  5. English grammar

    quiz (1) Grammar notes What are narrative tenses? Narrative tenses are used to talk about past events and to tell storiesNarrative tenses are four tenses that we often use for talking about past events. The most common of these is the past simple. Read more Worksheets Narrative tenses question cards B1-B2 30 mins groups: 3-4 correction

  6. Narrative tenses exercise

    Narrative tenses exercise: incident on a plane Gap-fill exercise Fill the gaps with the correct form of the verb in brackets. This is a story so you can choose from past simple, past continuous and past perfect tenses. Press "Check" to check your answers. Use the " [?]" button to get a clue.

  7. Course: intermediate / Unit 20 / Grammar Reference

    30 I'll have been studying English for thirty ... Grammar reference; Grammar Reference. Narrative tenses. Meaning and use. We use narrative tenses to talk about the past. We can use them to tell a ...

  8. Narrative tenses, used to, would

    Narrative tenses, used to, would. Past simple, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous. Past habitual events. Advanced grammar exercises.

  9. Narrative Tenses

    The four narrative tenses are past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous. Let's look at each of these tenses one by one. 1. Past Simple. The past simple tense is used to talk about a certain action or event that took place at a specific point in the past. Here are some past simple example sentences:

  10. Narrative Tenses

    Watch and learn when to use the different narrative tenses in English: Simple Past, Past Progressive (Past Continuous), and Past Perfect. What is the differe...

  11. narrative tenses

    Subject + be (past) + verb -ing He was going to the station. Subject + had + past participle He had gone to the station. Subject + had + been + verb -ing He had been going to the station. What are narrative tenses? Narrative tenses are used to talk about past events and to tell stories

  12. Narrative tenses

    The following are examples of narrative tenses: Past simple - 'We left on a rainy day' Past continuous - 'It was pouring down even at midday' Past perfect - 'It had rained off and on for ten days' Past perfect continuous - 'We had been waiting to escape for what seemed ages' In the classroom

  13. Narrative Tenses Quiz

    Grammar Guide; Grammar Exercises and Quizzes; ... Narrative Tenses Quiz. Choose the correct answer: 1. By the time we _____ at the party most people _____! arrived. were arriving. ... Choose between the past simple, past perfect and past continuous in this advanced English tenses quiz.

  14. Classroom activities to teach narrative tenses

    The following games are designed to help students practise narrative tenses and don't require teacher supervision. They need at least two players. The games use 16 cards, which tell a short story when combined together. Each card has an example of a sentence using narrative tenses. Each sentence tells part of the story.

  15. BBC Radio

    Learn English grammar in six minutes. Related Content. Similar programmes. By genre: ... Narrative tenses. 6 Minute Grammar. Learn how to use the past tenses to tell stories. Download

  16. Past Tenses

    Complete the sentences using the verbs in brackets and the following tenses: simple past, past progressive, past perfect simple, past perfect progressive. A plumber (come) to our house yesterday. He (want) to repair our washing machine that (break) a few days before. Before he (ring) at my door, he (look) for a parking space for about ten minutes.

  17. Lesson Share: Grammar: Narrative tenses

    Lesson Share: Grammar: Narrative tenses. By Rachael Nobbs. Rachael Nobbs encourages students to invent their own tales with her winning Lesson Share entry that practises the past tenses and features a mysterious urban myth ….

  18. Online Tense Exercises

    Online Exercises; Grammar; Tenses; Tenses . This section is all about English tenses. It contains exercises on every tense - simple and progressive - as well as a section with mixed tense exercises. ... T074 - Narrative Tenses Intermediate; T072 - A Once Famous Film Star Elementary; T071 - The Lost Passport - Past Simple and Continuous, Past ...

  19. Narrative Tenses

    Narrative Tenses - Mixed Past Tense Review. BobSmrad. 3019. 16. 23. 0. 1/1. Let's do English ESL general grammar practice. Worksheet contains 2 short exercises regarding narrative tenses; past simple, past continuous and past perfect.

  20. Narrative tenses worksheet

    Liveworksheets transforms your traditional printable worksheets into self-correcting interactive exercises that the students can do online and send to the teacher. ... English (en ... School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) (1061958) Main content: Narrative tenses (2012132) narrative tenses. Other contents : Narrative tenses ...

  21. Narrative tenses

    1 I took the lid off the box and had looked / looked / was looking inside. 2 While I had played / played / was playing video games, I heard a big crack of thunder. 3 She was never going / had never been / never went skiing until her uncle took her to the Alps. 4 He grabbed the ball off me and threw / was throwing / had thrown it into the river.

  22. Tenses Gap Filling Exercise

    Latest Exercises. Tenses Gap Filling Exercise February 9, 2024; Would Rather, Had Better vs. Rather Than February 8, 2024; Commonly Confused Words February 6, 2024; Verbs Exercise February 4, 2024; Gap Filling Mixed Grammar Exercise February 3, 2024; Mixed Grammar Exercise February 2, 2024; Phrasal Verbs Exercise February 1, 2024; Tenses ...