Презентація "Narrative Tenses"

NARRATIVE TENSES

Past Continuous setting the scene The sun was shining, the wind was blowing and the fans were sitting and waiting.

Past Simple DESCRIBING THE main events series of actions that happened one after another Julia stood up, came to the window and saw a strange man in the street.

Past Continuous, Past Simple DESCRIBING THE main events THE SHORT ACTION INTERRUPTED THE LONGER ONE Eric was running first but suddenly, Peter overtook him at high speed.

Past Perfect, Past Simple DESCRIBING THE main events THE ACTION HAD happened before another past action. Our team had finished the game before he came.

past story taken from ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ (The Past Continuous for setting the scene) …Three days later, the Dursleys were showing no sign of relenting, and Harry couldn’t see any way out of his situation. He lay on his bed, he was watching how the sun was sinking the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to him.

(The Past Simple for describing the main events - series of actions that happened one after another) …The cat-flap rattled and Aunt Petunia’s hand appeared, pushing a bowl of canned soup into the room. Harry, whose insides were aching with hunger, jumped off his bed and seized it. The soup was stone-cold, but he drank half of it in one gulp. Then he crossed the room to Hedwig’s cage and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into her empty food tray. She ruffled her feathers and gave him a look of deep disgust.

(The Past Perfect and the Past Simple for describing the main events – the action had happened before another past action)…He put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the cat-flap and lay back down on the bed, somehow even hungrier than he had been before the soup.