Narrative Tenses for Storytelling

When we tell a story about the past — an anecdote, a memory, a novel, a film summary — we rarely use just one tense. We weave together the narrative tenses: the past simple for the main events, the past continuous for background and interrupted actions, the past perfect for earlier events, and the past perfect continuous for activities that had been going on before a point in the story. Controlling all four narrative tenses together is a B2-level skill on the CEFR scale.

Learning each tense separately is only half the battle. The real skill, and the focus of this page, is seeing how they cooperate to show the order, length and relationship of events. Master this and your spoken and written stories will sound far more fluent and engaging.

The Four Narrative Tenses at a Glance

Tense	Form	Job in a story
Past simple	walked, went, saw	The main, completed events that move the story forward
Past continuous	was / were + -ing	Background scene; a longer action interrupted by a shorter one
Past perfect	had + past participle	An event that happened before the main past events
Past perfect continuous	had been + -ing	An activity in progress / its duration before a past point

Past Simple: The Backbone of the Story

The past simple carries the sequence of main events — the things that happened, one after another, that push the story along. Each verb is a finished action at a definite past time.

• She opened the door, walked in and sat down.
• The phone rang. He answered it and frowned.

If you listed only the past simple verbs of a story in order, you would have its plot. Everything else adds colour and depth around this backbone.

Past Continuous: Setting the Scene and Interruptions

The past continuous (was/were + -ing) describes a longer action already in progress. We use it to set the scene at the start of a story and to show an action that was interrupted by a shorter past simple event.

• Scene-setting: The sun was shining and the birds were singing as I left the house.
• Interruption: I was walking home when it started to rain. (longer action + shorter interrupting action)
• Two actions at once: While she was cooking, he was laying the table.

Past Perfect: Going Back in Time

The past perfect (had + past participle) lets us step back to an event that happened before the main past events. It makes the order of events crystal clear, which is essential when we mention something out of sequence.

• When I arrived at the station, the train had already left. (The train left first; I arrived second.)
• She couldn’t get in because she had forgotten her keys.
• He told me he had never seen the sea before.

Without the past perfect, When I arrived, the train left would wrongly suggest the train left after I arrived.

Past Perfect Continuous: Duration Before a Past Point

The past perfect continuous (had been + -ing) shows how long an activity had been going on before a moment in the story, and often explains a situation we then describe.

• She was exhausted because she had been travelling all day.
• The streets were wet; it had been raining for hours.
• They had been arguing for ten minutes when the doorbell rang.

Putting It All Together: A Short Story

Watch how all four tenses combine in a single paragraph:

Sentence	Tense used
It was raining hard when Maria arrived at the cottage.	past continuous (scene) + past simple (event)
She had been driving for six hours and she was exhausted.	past perfect continuous (duration) + past simple
The owner had left the key under a flowerpot, just as he had promised.	past perfect (earlier events)
She unlocked the door, stepped inside and smiled.	past simple (main events)

Common Time Expressions in Narratives

• Sequence: first, then, next, after that, finally, suddenly
• Interruption: when, while, as, just as
• Earlier events: already, by the time, before, previously
• Duration: for, since, all day, for hours

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Overusing the past perfect: Once the order of events is clear from then, after that or simple sequence, you do not need the past perfect for every earlier action.
• Forgetting the past continuous for the scene: Starting every sentence with the past simple makes a story feel like a flat list. Add background with was/were + -ing.
• Using continuous with stative verbs: Say I knew, not I was knowing; she had known, not she had been knowing. See stative verbs.

Practice Exercises

Explore related grammar topics:

All Grammar Topics Past Tenses Past Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Stative Verbs Tense Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the narrative tenses?

The narrative tenses are the four past tenses we use to tell a story: the past simple (the main events), the past continuous (background scene and interrupted actions), the past perfect (events that happened earlier) and the past perfect continuous (activities in progress before a past point). Combining them shows the order, length and relationship of events.

Which tense carries the main events of a story?

The past simple is the backbone of any story. It carries the sequence of completed main events that move the plot forward: She opened the door, walked in and sat down. If you listed only the past simple verbs in order, you would have the plot. The other tenses add background, earlier events and duration around it.

How do you use the past continuous in a story?

The past continuous (was/were + -ing) sets the scene and describes a longer action interrupted by a shorter one. For scene-setting: The sun was shining as I left. For interruption: I was walking home when it started to rain — the long action is in the continuous, the short interrupting event in the past simple.

When do we use the past perfect in narratives?

We use the past perfect (had + past participle) to refer to an event that happened before the main past events, especially when we mention it out of sequence: When I arrived, the train had already left. It makes the order clear. Without it, When I arrived, the train left would wrongly suggest the train left after I arrived.

What does the past perfect continuous add to a story?

The past perfect continuous (had been + -ing) shows how long an activity had been going on before a moment in the story, and often explains a situation we then describe: She was exhausted because she had been travelling all day. It adds depth by linking a past result to its longer-running cause.

What is the difference between ‘when’ and ‘while’ in narratives?

Use when with the past simple for the short interrupting action, and while with the past continuous for the longer background action: I was reading when the lights went out, or While I was reading, the lights went out. Both describe the same event but highlight the long action differently.

Do I need the past perfect for every earlier action?

No. A common mistake is overusing the past perfect. Once the order of events is clear — from words like then, after that, first or from natural sequence — the past simple is enough. Reserve the past perfect for moments where you genuinely need to flag that one event happened before another, out of sequence.

Can I use continuous tenses with stative verbs in a story?

No. Stative verbs such as know, believe, want, love and understand are not used in continuous forms, even in narratives. Say I knew the truth, not I was knowing; and she had known him for years, not she had been knowing him. Use the past simple or past perfect with these verbs instead.

What time expressions are useful for telling stories?

For sequence: first, then, next, after that, finally, suddenly. For interruptions: when, while, as, just as. For earlier events: already, by the time, before, previously. For duration: for, since, all day, for hours. These signposts help the listener follow the order and timing of events.

At what level should I learn the narrative tenses?

The narrative tenses are usually brought together at B2 (upper-intermediate) on the CEFR scale, once learners already know each past tense individually. The challenge at this level is not the forms themselves but combining them smoothly to tell a coherent story. It is a key skill for Cambridge B2 First and IELTS speaking and writing.