Narrative Tenses Exercises
Do more with this exercise
Put story events in order
Use the past simple for the main events of a story, the past continuous for an action in progress or background scene, and the past perfect for something that happened before another past event.
- Main events:
- Past simple moves the story forward: I opened the door and went inside.
- Background:
- Past continuous describes an action already in progress: It was raining when I left.
- Earlier event:
- Past perfect marks an event before the story's past reference point: The bus had left before I reached the stop.
- Interruption:
- A short past simple event can interrupt a longer past continuous action: I was cooking when the phone rang.
- Keep time clear:
- Choose a tense from the order of events, not from a single time word. A story can move between all three tenses.
Examples
The wind was blowing when we left the house.
ongoing background and a main event
I found my keys and opened the door.
two main events in sequence
By the time I arrived, the concert had started.
the concert started first
She was reading when the lights went out.
an interruption during an action in progress
He recognised the place because he had visited it before.
the visit happened before the recognition
Audio uses a synthetic voice.
Practice exercises
Choose the story tense
Choose the form that fits the sequence of events.
1.I ___ home when I saw the accident.
2.When we reached the cinema, the film ___. We missed the beginning.
3.The doorbell rang. Sam ___ the door and greeted his friend.
4.The street was wet, and it ___ heavily as the taxi arrived.
5.I knew her name because we ___ before.
6.I turned off the light and ___ to bed.
Complete the story
Write the correct past simple, past continuous or past perfect form of the verb in brackets.
Fix the story tense
Replace the incorrect verb phrase with the correct past form. Keep the rest of the sentence.
13.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
14.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
15.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
16.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
17.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
18.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
How narrative tenses make a story clear
A story usually moves forward through completed events. The past simple does that work: someone opened a door, found a note and called a friend. The past continuous gives the reader the scene around those events. It tells us what was happening when something else took place.
The past perfect lets a story look further back. If the note had disappeared before the character entered the room, the past perfect makes that order clear. Once the earlier time is established, the story can return to the past simple for its main events.
Before choosing a form, draw a quick timeline in your mind. Is this action the next event, an action already in progress, or something that happened before the scene? Then read the complete sentence. This is more reliable than choosing a tense from *when* or *before* alone.
Frequently asked questions
Which tenses are used in a story?
The past simple tells the main events. The past continuous gives background or shows an action in progress. The past perfect places an event before another past moment.
When do I use the past perfect in a story?
Use it when you need to show that one event had already happened before the point you are describing: “The train had left when I arrived.”
Can past simple and past continuous be in the same sentence?
Yes. A short past simple event can happen during a longer past continuous action: “I was walking when I saw a friend.”
Do I need past perfect for every earlier event?
No. Use it where the order would otherwise be unclear or where the earlier event matters to the scene. Past simple can show a clear sequence of main events.
Answer key
1. I ___ home when I saw the accident.
Answer: was walking
The walk was in progress; with I, the form is was walking.
2. When we reached the cinema, the film ___. We missed the beginning.
Answer: had started
The film started before we arrived, so use the past perfect.
3. The doorbell rang. Sam ___ the door and greeted his friend.
Answer: opened
Opening the door is the next main event in the story.
4. The street was wet, and it ___ heavily as the taxi arrived.
Answer: was raining
The rain was in progress at the moment of the taxi's arrival; use was raining.
5. I knew her name because we ___ before.
Answer: had met
The earlier meeting can take the past perfect; its form is had met.
6. I turned off the light and ___ to bed.
Answer: went
This is the next completed main event.
7. I ___ dinner when the lights went out. It was only half cooked.
Answer: was cooking
Cooking was still in progress when the lights went out.
8. By the time she called, I ___ the message.
Answer: had read
Reading the message happened before her call.
9. Tom picked up his bag and ___ the room.
Answer: left
Leaving is the next main event after picking up the bag.
10. The children ___ outside when it began to rain. They kept playing for a while.
Answer: were playing
Playing was in progress when the rain began.
11. She couldn't get in because she ___ her key at work.
Answer: had left
Leaving the key at work happened before she tried to get in.
12. We finished breakfast and ___ for the station.
Answer: left
Leaving is the next completed event in the sequence.
13. I was cook dinner when the lights went out.
Answer: I was cooking dinner when the lights went out.
A past action in progress uses was + -ing.
14. By the time we arrived, the show had start.
Answer: By the time we arrived, the show had started.
The earlier event uses had + past participle.
15. The phone rang, so I was answering it.
Answer: The phone rang, so I answered it.
Answering is the next completed event after the phone rang.
16. She was knowing the address because she had been there before.
Answer: She knew the address because she had been there before.
Know describes a state and normally uses the past simple here.
17. I couldn't pay because I was leaving my wallet at home.
Answer: I couldn't pay because I had left my wallet at home.
Leaving the wallet happened before trying to pay.
18. The wind was blow when we left the house, and it was still blowing an hour later.
Answer: The wind was blowing when we left the house, and it was still blowing an hour later.
The ongoing action uses was + -ing.