- Ejercicio
- Explicación
- Video
📝 Instructions for the Activity
In this activity, you will see 10 sentences, each with a blank space.
Your task is to choose the correct answer from three options.
👉 Only one option is correct, so read carefully and choose the best one!
When you select an answer, the system will automatically check it and tell you if your choice is right or wrong.
At the end of the activity, you will get a summary of all your answers,
plus explanations for the correct ones, so you can learn and improve.
💪 Take your time, do your best, and most importantly—have fun learning!
Good luck!
📝 What are Narrative Tenses in English?
Narrative tenses are the verb tenses we use to tell stories or describe events in the past. We often use them when we talk about something that happened in the past, especially when we want to explain the order of events or set the scene.
There are four main narrative tenses you should know:
1. Past Simple
We use the past simple to talk about actions that are finished and happened at a specific time in the past.
✅ It tells what happened.
📍 A clear moment in the past.
Example:
➡ I arrived at the station at 5 p.m.
(This means I got to the station, and the action is finished.)
2. Past Continuous
We use the past continuous to describe actions that were in progress at a certain moment in the past.
It’s also used when one action was happening, and another action interrupted it.
✅ It sets the scene or background.
✅ It shows something was in progress.
Example:
➡ I was waiting for the train when it started to rain.
(First I was waiting → then the rain started.)
3. Past Perfect
We use the past perfect to talk about something that happened before another past action.
✅ It shows which action happened first.
(It’s the “past of the past.”)
Example:
➡ By the time I arrived, the train had already left.
(The train left first. Then I arrived.)
4. Past Perfect Continuous
We use the past perfect continuous to talk about an action that started in the past and continued for some time before another past event.
✅ It emphasizes the duration of the action.
✅ It often uses “for” or “since.”
Example:
➡ She had been studying for hours before she took the test.
(She studied for a long time, then took the test.)
🧩 How do we use all these tenses in a story?
Let’s imagine you’re telling someone what happened yesterday:
🕐 1:00 p.m.
➡ I had already eaten lunch when my friend called me.
👉 (I finished eating before she called.) → Past Perfect
🕜 1:30 p.m.
➡ While we were talking, it started to rain.
👉 (The talking was in progress when the rain began.) → Past Continuous + Past Simple
🕑 2:00 p.m.
➡ We decided to meet later.
👉 (Simple action that happened after the call.) → Past Simple
🕒 3:00 p.m.
➡ By the time I arrived, she had been waiting for 30 minutes.
👉 (She was waiting for a long time before I got there.) → Past Perfect Continuous
🔹 Summary: When do we use each tense?
| Tense | Use |
|---|---|
| Past Simple | For completed actions in the past. |
| Past Continuous | To describe actions in progress at a specific time. |
| Past Perfect | To show one action happened before another past action. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | To emphasize how long something had been happening before another past event. |