This document discusses different past tenses in narrative, including the past simple for finished actions, past continuous for longer actions happening simultaneously, past perfect for actions before a specific past time, and past perfect continuous for longer actions ongoing before a specific past time. It provides examples of using these tenses to describe events in Romeo and Juliet's relationship, from their meeting to falling in love and getting married, all leading to their tragic deaths.

1. Narrative tenses

2. PAST SIMPLE
• We use the past simple for finished
consecutive actions in the past.

3. PAST SIMPLE
• Romeo met Juliet at a party..

4. PAST SIMPLE
• They kissed.

5. PAST SIMPLE
• They got married.

6. PAST CONTINUOUS
• We use the past continuous to describe a
longer action in the past. This is often an
action which was in progress when another
action happened.

7. PAST CONTINUOUS
• When Romeo met Juliet…
… people were dancing and singing.

8. PAST PERFECT
• We use the past perfect to talk about a action
which happened before the specific time in
the past when the main events of the story
happened e.g. the party where Romeo met
Juliet.
BEFORE THIS

9. PAST PERFECT
• Before the party…
Romeo hadn’t been to bed.

10. PAST PERFECT CONTINOUS
• We use the past perfect continous to talk
about a longer continuous action that was
going on before the specific time in the past
when the main events of the story happened.
BEFORE THIS

11. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
• He had been thinking about a girl called
Rosaline.

12. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
• He had been writing love poems and singing.

13. A TRAGIC STORY
• He didn’t know that he would die for love.