Narrative tenses

Upper Int Narrative tenses

Past Simple compared to Present Perfect

• Past Simple refers to the finished past

• Shakespeare wrote plays. (He's dead)

• I've written lots of Quizizz lessons. (I'm alive)

Past simple has no present result

• I hurt my back a few months ago. (But it is better now.)

• I've hurt my back. (And it hurts now.)

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Past Simple refers to definite past.

• I saw him last night/two weeks ago/on Monday/the other day/at the weekend/at 8pm.

• Present Perfect uses indefinite adverbials

• I've seen him recently/before.

• I haven't seen him since last month/for a long time/yet.

• I've never/just seen him.

Past Simple is used:

• to express a finished action in the past - Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.

• to express actions which follow each other -My alarm went off, so I got up and had a shower.

• to express a past state or habit - When I was a child, we lived in a small house by the sea. Every day I walked for miles on the beach.

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Past Continuous is used:

• 1) to express an activity in progress before and probably after a time in the past.

• I phoned you at 8 pm but there was no answer. What were you doing?

• I was watching a movie so I had switched off my phone.

2) to describe a past activity or situation.

• The cottage was looking so cosy. A wood fire was burning and soft music was playing.

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3) to express and interrupted past activity.

• I was having a bath when the phone rang.

• (usually the when clause is in the past simple)

• The phone rang while I was having a bath.

• (usually we use while with the past continuous)

4) to express an incomplete activity in the past.

• I was reading a book during the flight. (But I didn't finish it.)

• Compare:

• I watched a film during the flight. (the whole film - complete activity)

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5) to express an activity that was in progress at every moment during a time period.

• I was working all day yesterday.

• The workmen were digging up the road for most of the night.

• The children were fighting together for the whole of the holiday.

Past Simple vs Past Continuous

• Past simple = past actions as simple, complete facts

• What did you do last night?

• I stayed at home and watched the football.

• Past Continuous = gives a time and duration to a past activity

• I phoned you last night, but there was no reply.

• Oh. I was watching the football and didn't hear the phone.