NARRATIVE TENSES

Question 1

Simple past

Answer 1

Structure: subject + verb in the simple past + complement.
Use:
- To describe the main events in sequence, one after another (he got in the car, started the engine and drove away).
- To describe a general state in the past (it was one of the coldest winters in memory).

Question 2

Past perfect

Answer 2

Structure: subject + had + verb in past participle + complemento.
Use:
- When we need to make clear that one past event happened before another one (when the police arrived, the thieves had already left).
- To describe something that happened (or a state that was true) before the main event (s) or story (I couldn’t believe it when I saw the plane tickets in his hand. I’d always wanted to visit Australia).

Question 3

Past continuous

Answer 3

• Structure: subject + verb to be in past + main verb - ing.
• Use: to describe an activity in progress in the past.
  —> The background to an event within the story (It was raining when we arrived).
  —> The background to the main story (It was 2015, and I was being in Paris).

Question 4

Past perfect continuous

Answer 4

• Use: we use both past continuous and past perfect continuous to talk about an activity in progress in the past. With the past perfect continuous, there is more emphasis on the duration of the activity.
  —> before a main event (It had been snowing all night, and my flight was cancelled).
  —> up to a main event (We’d been enjoying a morning on the beach when something strange happened).