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Narrative: Introduction & Tenses
A narrative describes an event that happened in the past. We use
the past continuous, the simple past, and sometimes the past perfect
to describe what happened.
You have to write 200 words in 45 minutes.
Past Continuous
The past continuous is good for setting the scene
He was driving along the road when suddenly…
The two men were crossing the desert when…
The car was speeding down the deserted highway when…
I was talking to my brother when the lights went out.
Simple Past
The simple past is used to describe the sequence of events.
He was driving along the road when suddenly he saw a camel run out in front of him. He braked as hard as he could but he could not stop in time. The car hit the camel and killed it. The man got out of the car and checked to see if the animal was alive.
The two men were crossing the desert when they heard a loud band. It sounded like a rifle but they were not sure. They heard another shot but this time a bullet hit the side of the car. Now they were sure.
The car was speeding down the deserted highway when the accident happened. The driver fell asleep at the wheel and drove straight into a tree. Ten minutes later another car passed by. The driver saw the accident and stopped his car to call the police on his mobile.
I was talking to my brother when the lights went out. I could see nothing. I asked my brother what was wrong, but he said the lights were on where he was. I felt in my pocket for a match…
Past Perfect
You can use the past perfect to describe something that happened before another thing in the past.
The car was speeding down the deserted highway when the accident happened. The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and had driven straight into a tree. Ten minutes later another car passed by. The driver saw what had happened and stopped his car to call the police on his mobile.
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