What are the narrative tenses in English?
The narrative tenses are the three past tenses English uses to tell a story: the past simple, the past continuous and the past perfect. Each one has its own job, and the past perfect continuous joins them at B2.
| Tense | Its job in a story | Example |
| Past continuous | The scene, already going on | It was raining and we were waiting for the bus. |
| Past simple | The events, one after another | The bus didn't come, so we walked. |
| Past perfect | Something that happened earlier | We had missed the last one by two minutes. |
The past simple carries the story forward. The other two tenses move the camera: back to what was happening, or further back to what had already happened.
Worksheets and story lessons on this page
- Narrative Tenses worksheet, B1-B2: the ship Endurance, lost in the Antarctic ice in 1915 and found by a robot in 2022, with a diagram of story layers and narrative tenses exercises with answers
- Past Simple vs Past Continuous worksheet, A2-B1: the first step, background and events
- Ghost Stories and Tales of Horror: retelling spooky and real horror stories
- The Taylor Swift Effect: fame and fandom, with the three past tenses in a retelling task
- Breaking News: revising the tenses with a news report
- Great Unretirement: why older Americans are going back to work
Each past perfect worksheet task asks students to decide which event came first before they write, which is where most mistakes start.
Getting students to tell stories, not lists
Narrative tenses activities work when the story is the goal and the grammar is the tool. This order helps:
- Set the scene. Ask what was happening when the story started, and collect past continuous sentences.
- Tell the events. Keep them in the past simple and in order.
- Go back in time. Ask what had happened before, and add one past perfect sentence that explains the ending.
Students can then tell their own story, such as the worst journey of their life, using all three. For more speaking ideas, see our post on past simple and past continuous activities for adults.
Storytelling also needs linking words. When, while, as soon as and by the time tell the listener how the events connect, and the narrative tenses worksheet has a box of them to use in the final writing task.
A narrative tenses worksheet can't do this part alone. After the written tasks, give students two minutes to tell a partner about the worst trip of their life, and listen for the three tenses.
Narrative tenses FAQ
What level are narrative tenses for?
Most coursebooks introduce them as a set at B1. The past perfect continuous usually comes at B2.
Do students need the past perfect continuous at B1?
Not to tell a good story. Get the three main tenses working first, then add it for long actions that continued up to a moment in the past.
Do the worksheets have answers?
Yes. Every worksheet has a Teacher's Version with answers, and the writing task comes with a model ending.
All narrative tenses worksheets and lesson plans come with a teacher subscription.