Narrative tenses

Start

Simple Past

Subject+ past verb+ C

Completed actions and states which

happened at a specific time.

In storytelling, the simple past is

often used to narrate events in sequence.

Yesterday
Last week/month/year
In (specific year)
A week ago
When I was younger

Time expressions

Past Continous

S+was/were + verb+ing+ C

It is used for activities not states in progress at the time of the main events in the story.

Ongoing actions in the past
Parallel actions
Interruptions
Describing atmosphere or mood
Background information

While
When
At that moment
As

Time Expressions

Past Perfect

S+had+past participle+C

Shows an action completed before

another past action.

Establishing a sequence of events
Provide background information
Clarifying cause and effect

When we want to focus on the results of an earlier completed action.

Before
After
By the time
Already
Until

Time expressions

Past Perfect Continous

S+had been+ verb+ing+C

Before a result in the past to show the effect of an earlier activityEmphasizes the duration of an action leading up to another past action

For (duration)
Since (time])
Before
When

Time Expressions

Creating a Story

simple past

Past continous

Past perfect

Setting the scene

Start by describing the background or ongoing actions to set the scene

Introducing the Main Action

Move to the main events or action that happened

Prior Events

Introduce events that occurred before the main action to provide context

Creating a Story

Simple past or past continuous

Past perfect continuous

Ongoing Actions Leading to Past Events

Emphasize how long something had been happening before another past action

Aftermath

Wrap up the story by describing the aftermath or the resolution

As the heavy rain continued to fall, the rescue team from Guadalupe was driving through the flooded streets searching for anyone in need of help. After several hours of searching they finally spotted a car in soriana that was partially submerged in water. They had received reports of trapped individuals near the area, and their concern was growing.They had been coordinating their efforts with Zacatecas' emergency services since the storm began. At the end they managed to rescue two people from the vehicle, who were relieved to be safe.

Timeline

2023

Storm

RT were driving

The car was submerged in water

PAST

It started to rain

RT had received reports

RT rescued the people

RT had been coordinating their efforts with Zacatecas ES since the storm began

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