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Narrative Tenses

Narrative tenses are used to talk about the past and are formed using the past simple, past perfect, and past continuous tenses.

B2Tenses

What are Narrative Tenses

Narrative tenses are a way to talk about the past in a story or a sequence of events.

  • The past simple tense is formed using the **past simple form of the verb**, for example, I **walked**.
  • The past perfect tense is formed using **had + past participle**, for example, I **had walked**.
  • The past continuous tense is formed using **was/were + past participle**, for example, I **was walking**.

When to Use Narrative Tenses

  • We use narrative tenses to describe a series of events that happened in the past.
  • Narrative tenses help to show the relationship between different events in the past.
  • We use narrative tenses to make our stories or descriptions of past events more interesting and engaging.

Examples of Narrative Tenses

  • I **was walking** down the street when I saw my friend.
  • By the time I **had arrived**, the party **had started**.
  • As I **was studying**, my phone **rang**.
  • I **had eaten** dinner before I **went** to the movies.
  • While I **was watching** TV, my sister **was doing** her homework.

Common Mistakes

  • Wrong: I go to the store. Correct: I went to the store.
  • Wrong: I have walked to school. Correct: I walked to school.
  • Wrong: I am walking to school yesterday. Correct: I was walking to school yesterday.

Memory Trick

One way to remember the narrative tenses is to think of a story and try to use all three tenses in the same sentence, for example, 'I **was walking** to the store when I **saw** my friend, and I **had bought** a gift for her earlier.'

Quick check
By the time I _____ my homework, it was already midnight.

Where this matters in your exam

In IELTS, narrative tenses are crucial in Writing Task 1 and Task 2 for describing past events and experiences. They are also used in the speaking section to talk about personal experiences.

  • Writing Task 2

    Using narrative tenses correctly is vital to score well in IELTS Writing Task 2.

  • Speaking Section

    In the IELTS speaking section, you may be asked to talk about a past event or experience, and using narrative tenses correctly is important.