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Past Tenses Review
Master Past Simple, Past Continuous, and Present Perfect for storytelling.
Storytelling
Learning past tenses helps you tell stories about your experiences.
Past Tenses for Narratives
Understand how to combine past tenses to describe events.
Past Tenses for Narratives
To tell a good story, you need to master how different past tenses work together. Let's compare the main ones.
| Tense | When to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past Simple | For the main, completed actions in a story (the backbone). | I woke up late, missed the bus, and arrived at work at 10 AM. |
| Past Continuous | For background actions or to describe the scene. Also for an action that was interrupted by another action. | The sun was shining and birds were singing. While I was waiting for the bus, it started to rain. |
| Present Perfect | To connect a past action to the present. For life experiences (without a specific time) or recent past actions with a present result. | I've been to Paris twice. I can't find my keys, I think I've lost them. |
Putting It All Together
Imagine this story:
Yesterday was a disaster. I woke up late because my alarm didn't ring. While I was running to the bus stop, I realized I had forgotten my wallet. I can't believe I have made such a silly mistake! It's the third time this month.
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Tense Master Quiz
Choose the correct tense to complete the story.
1
While I ___ for the bus, I saw an old friend.
2
She ___ to three countries in Europe so far.
3
What were you at 8 PM last night?
4
He ___ his job last month.