Narrative tenses

Past simple, past continuous and past perfect together for telling stories in the right order

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1. 1
   选择题

   While I dinner, the phone rang.

   was cookingcookedhad cookedcookThe past continuous describes an action in progress when another action happened.
2. 2
   选择题

   By the time we arrived, the film .

   had already startedalready startedwas already startinghas already startedThe past perfect describes an action completed before another past action.
3. 3
   选择题

   She to three countries before she turned twenty.

   had travelledtravelledwas travellinghas travelledThe past perfect describes an earlier action in a past story.
4. 4
   选择题

   Which sentence is correct?

   I was walking home when it started to rain.I walked home when it was starting to rain.I had walked home when it started to rain.I was walking home when it had started to rain.Past continuous (background action) + past simple (interrupting event) is the typical narrative pattern.
5. 5
   填空

   We (watch) a film when the power went off.

   答案: were watchingThe past continuous describes the action in progress at the moment of interruption.
6. 6
   填空

   He (already / leave) when I got to the station.

   答案: had already leftThe past perfect shows an action that finished before another past moment.
7. 7
   填空

   It (snow) heavily all night, so the roads were covered in the morning.

   答案: had been snowingThe past perfect continuous emphasises the duration of an earlier action.
8. 8
   填空

   While the children (play) in the garden, their mother was cooking lunch.

   答案: were playingThe past continuous is used for two background actions happening at the same time.
9. 9
   填空

   After she (finish) her homework, she went out to meet her friends.

   答案: had finishedThe past perfect describes a completed action that happened before the next past action.
10. 10
    判断对错

    This sentence correctly uses narrative tenses: 'I was reading a book when my sister had arrived.'

    答案: 错误The second action should be in the past simple, not the past perfect: 'when my sister arrived.'
11. 11
    判断对错

    This sentence correctly uses narrative tenses: 'By the time the police arrived, the thief had already escaped.'

    答案: 正确The past perfect correctly shows that the escape happened before the police arrived.
12. 12
    讨论题

    Tell a short story (4–5 sentences) about something that happened to you, using at least one past continuous and one past perfect verb.

    参考答案: Last winter I was walking home when I noticed I had left my keys at the office. I had already locked the door, so I had to call a locksmith. While I was waiting outside in the cold, my neighbour invited me in for tea.