Use of past simple, continuous and perfect in narration.

1. Narrative tenses
Simple Past, Past continuous and Past perfect Simple and
Continuous

2. Simple Past
∗ To talk about actions that happened in a
sequence in the past.  main events in a
story
I came home, picked up my laptop and left
I came home I picked up my lap top I left

3. Past Continuous
∗ To describe an action that was in progress at a
specific time in the past  to set the scene
Mary was working at ten yesterday
she was working
10 pm
∗ To talk about an action that was in progress
when a second action happened
I was studying when the electricity went off
I was studying
the electricity went off

4. Past perfect
∗ Earlier past  things that happened
before the ‘main events’

5. Past perfect Continuous
∗ An action that was in progress
before the main events happened

6. Past perfect Continuous
∗ An action that was in progress
before the main events happened