5th LEVEL. GRAMMAR UNIT 2
EOI REUS 2009/10
REVISION: PAST TENSES
When dealing with narrative tenses you should bear in mind that they usually refer
back to the past and a good use of verb tenses might improve the level of
comprehension the listener or reader achieves after reading a composition, story or
tale.
PAST SIMPLE
It is used for actions which happened in a past time period which is understood as a
finished, completed period. When we talk about two or more completed past events
that followed one another we use past simple in both actions.
The children jumped out of bed on Christmas Day and ran down to the living-
room to open their presents.
It is also used for repeated and habitual past actions and states. In a narrative we
often use the past simple to talk about a single complete past event and the past
continuous to describe a situation that existed at the time.
A friendly American couple started chatting to him as he was checking in at the
hotel reception.
PAST CONTINUOUS
The past continuous tense is used in narrative to express a situation or state which
was in progress in the past. Sometimes these actions are simultaneous. In most cases,
the situation was interrupted by a single action expressed in the past simple.
We were playing football while Peter was doing his homework alone.
Jason dropped his rucksack when he was getting into the car.
It may be used for repeated actions as well, when we want to emphasize that
repeated actions went on for a limited and temporary period of past time.
While Madonna was in hospital, journalists were waiting for long hours at the
entrance.
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE or CONTINUOUS
It is used for past actions which relate directly to the present because there is a result
or consequence of the past action which may still not be completed in the present.
They have lived in York for more than a decade. (and they continue to live
there)
In a sentence which includes a time clause with since, we generally prefer a past
simple verb in the time clause and a present perfect verb in the main clause.
Since they rescued the little girl from the frozen pond, they've been on TV
almost every day.
The present perfect continuous centres the stress on the duration of the action rather
than the results.
They have been redecorating their house for the last two weeks.
He's been playing rugby all afternoon and needs a shower!

5th LEVEL. GRAMMAR UNIT 2
EOI REUS 2009/10
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE or CONTINUOUS
When giving an account of a sequence of past events in chronological order we use
the past simple. Whenever we want to enrich our narrative and not state the concrete
order of events, but emphasize some of them, we may use the past perfect.
She read a bit more of the novel, switched off the lamp and fell asleep.
She switched off the lamp and fell asleep, after she had read a bit more of the
novel.
The past perfect is used to talk about past actions that happened in a remote past
period, that is to say, before a past simple action or before a concrete point in the
past.
As Susan was introduced to Mrs. Gilliam, she realised that she had met her
some time before.
It is common to use either the past simple or the past perfect when we talk about
things that we intended to do, but did not or will not do in the future, although past
continuous would also be possible.
I hadn't thought of cooking rabbit, until he told me how tasty it was.
She had hoped to visit the gallery before leaving Florence, but it's closed on
Sundays. (She hoped, she was hoping, she had been hoping)
OTHER PAST STRUCTURES
When talking about unfulfilled past actions, which were intended to happen but did
not, we may use:
 be going to + infinitive, be about to + infinitive, be to + perfect infinitive
She was going to come to the party, but the children were sick.
was about to come to the party,
was to have come to the party,
When we talk about how we would like the past to have been different:
 Would like/love/prefer to + perfect infinitive, would have liked/loved/preferred
to + infinitive/perfect infinitive
They would like to have gone to Canada for their wedding anniversary.
would have liked to go to Canada
would have liked to have gone to Canada
 Would rather/sooner + perfect infinitive; would rather/sooner + object + past
perfect
They would rather have gone to Canada for their wedding anniversary.
would sooner have gone to Canada
She would rather you had told her the truth about her childhood.
He’d sooner we hadn’t excluded him from the football team.