Using Narrative Tenses

Using Narrative Tenses

To write stories based in the past, we use NARRATIVE TENSES. The most common narrative tenses are the PAST SIMPLE, PAST CONTINUOUS, PAST PERFECT SIMPLE & PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS.

Past Simple (eg: cry = cried)

• to talk about a completed action (tindakan yang sudah selesai)

• to tell a series of actions that happened one after the other in the past (beberapa tindakan yang berlaku satu demi satu pada masa yang lampau)

Past Continuous (eg: They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened)

• to talk about an action that was in progress in the past when another action interrupted it (tindakan yang sedang berlangsung pada masa lampau semasa tindakan lain sedang berlangsung) (meaning kejadian tu berlangsung masa ada kejadian lain tengah berlangsung)

Past Perfect Simple (eg: After Sofie had finished her work, she went to lunch)

• to talk about an action that happened before the time of the narrative or another past action (tindakan yang telah berlaku sebelum sesuatu yang telah selesai pada masa lampau).

Past Perfect Continuous (eg: We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key)

• to talk about an action that was in progress for some time in the past which was interrupted by another past action (sesuatu tindakan yang telah pun berlangsung untuk beberapa masa, contoh satu jam ke satu hari ke seminggu ke pada masa lampau dan tindakan tu berubah disebabkan satu tindakan yang lain) (kita cuba nak buka pintu dah 5 minit then Jane jumpa kunci dia, so kita dah tak payah cuba nak buka pintu tu dah sebab dah ada kunci)