The document discusses different past tenses in English including: simple past to describe past events in sequence; past continuous to describe an action in progress at a specific past time to set the scene; past perfect to talk about actions that occurred before the main past events; and past perfect continuous to describe an action that was ongoing before other past events happened. It provides examples of using each tense to describe past actions and sequences.

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