B1 · Lesson 5 · 20 min
Telling a story with past tenses
In this lesson
- I can use past simple to move a story forward.
- I can combine past continuous and past perfect to show background and earlier events.
Grammar in context
On Saturday evening, Maya was walking home from the cinema when she saw smoke near a café. She had already called her brother before she spoke to the café owner. A few minutes later, the fire engine arrived.
Which tense describes the action in progress when Maya saw smoke? Which form shows that her phone call happened before she spoke to the owner?
Past simple: main events
Use the past simple for completed events that move a story forward. It often answers: What happened next? Put events in a clear order with words such as then, later and after that. Regular verbs usually end in -ed, but many common verbs are irregular. Use did not or didn't for negatives, and Did ...? for questions.
- Luca opened the window, looked outside and called his neighbour.
- Did Priya catch the bus, or did she walk to work?
Past continuous: background and interrupted actions
Use the past continuous for an action in progress at a particular past time: was/were + verb-ing. It often gives the background for a shorter past simple event. We commonly use when before the shorter event. Do not use the continuous for every past action; choose it when the action was already happening.
- We were eating dinner when the lights went out.
- While I was waiting at the station, an old friend sent me a message.
Past perfect: the earlier past event
Use the past perfect, had + past participle, when you need to make one past event clearly earlier than another. It is useful when the order could otherwise be confusing. You do not need it for every earlier action if time words already make the sequence obvious. Use hadn't for a negative and Had ...? for a question.
- By the time Noor arrived, the meeting had started.
- Had Ben saved the address before his phone stopped working?
Common mistakes
Compare the incorrect and corrected forms.
Avoid
When I arrived, they were left.
Use
When I arrived, they had left.
Use past perfect for an action completed before another past event.
Avoid
I was cooking when my sister was arrived.
Use
I was cooking when my sister arrived.
Use past simple for the shorter completed event that interrupts.
Put it into practice
Try the exercises, write your own examples and check your understanding.