Understanding Narrative Tenses in English

This video tutorial covers the use of narrative tenses in English, including past simple, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous. It provides examples of how these tenses are used in storytelling and describes their forms and functions. The tutorial also explains how to combine these tenses effectively and concludes with a challenge for viewers to practice using them.

What are narrative tenses primarily used for?

• To discuss hypothetical situations

• To narrate past events and stories

• To talk about present actions

• To describe future events

Which tense is used for actions that started and finished in the past?

• Past continuous

• Past perfect continuous

• Past simple

• Past perfect

In the sentence 'Andrew Murray grew up in Dunblane,' which tense is used?

• Past perfect continuous

• Past simple

• Past perfect

• Past continuous

What is the primary use of the past continuous tense?

• To indicate future plans

• To express hypothetical situations

• To describe completed actions

• To provide background information

Which of the following sentences uses the past continuous tense?

• I had finished my homework.

• I was reading a book.

• I will go to the market.

• I have seen that movie.

How do past simple and past continuous tenses often work together?

• To describe two simultaneous actions

• To express a wish

• To indicate a future event

• To show an action interrupted by another

In the sentence 'When Paul arrived, I had cooked a meal,' which tense is used for the earlier action?

• Past simple

• Past perfect

• Past continuous

• Past perfect continuous

What is the structure of the past perfect tense?

• Subject + was/were + verb-ing

• Subject + had + past participle

• Subject + will have + past participle

• Subject + has/have + past participle

Which tense describes an action that started in the past and continued up until another time in the past?

• Past perfect continuous

• Past simple

• Past perfect

• Past continuous

What is the form of the past perfect continuous tense?

• Subject + had + past participle

• Subject + was/were + verb-ing

• Subject + has/have been + verb-ing

• Subject + had been + verb-ing