3.1 Narrative tenses
The Past Simple differs from all three uses of the Present Perfect.
Past Simple
- The Past Simple refers to finished past: Shakespeare wrote plays. I've written a few short stories.
- There is no present result: I hurt my back. (But it's better now.) I've hurt my back. (And it hurts now.)
- It refers to definite past: I saw him last night / two weeks ago / on Monday / at 8.00.
Past Continuous
The Past Continuous is used:
- To express an activity in progress before and probably after a time in the past: I phoned at 4.00, but you didn't answer. What were you doing?
- To set the scene of a past situation or activity: The cottage was looking so cosy. A fire was burning in the grate, music was playing, and from the kitchen were coming the most delicious smells.
- To express an interrupted past activity: I was having a bath when the phone rang.
- To express an incomplete activity in the past: I was reading a book during the flight. (But I didn't finish it.)
- To express an activity that was in progress at every moment during a period of time: I was working all day yesterday.
📌 Note
The Past Simple expresses past actions as simple, complete facts. The Past Continuous gives past activities' time and duration.
Past Perfect
The Past Perfect is used when we look back to a time in the past and refer to an action that happened before then.
Keith was fed up. He'd been looking for a job for months, but he'd found nothing.📌 Note
The continuous refers to longer actions or repeated activities. The simple refers to shorter, complete facts.
The Past Perfect can refer to definite as well as indefinite time.
Past Perfect and Past Simple
Verbs in the Past Simple tell a story in chronological order.
By using the Past Perfect, the speaker or writer can tell a story in a different order.
📌 Note
For reasons of style, it is not necessary to have every verb in the Past Perfect. Once the time of 'past in the past' has been established, the Past Simple can be used as long as there is no ambiguity.