Class narrative tenses

NARRATIVE TENSES

PRESENT PERFECT

When we talk about something that happened in the past, but we don't

specify precisely when ithappened

EXAMPLES

• I have complained about the traffic before.

• I've washed my hands so that I can help you with the cooking.

• A French yachtsman has broken the record for sailing round the world.

STRUCTURE

AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE• They have just arrived.• They've already arrived.

NEGATIVE SENTENCE• I haven't told him yet.

QUESTION• Has Linda started her new job yet?

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We use the present perfect continuous to talk about a situation or activity that started in the past and has been in progress for a period until

now or it may just have stopped.

EXAMPLES

• The competition has been running every year since 1980.

• She's been living in New Zealand for over a year now.

• he's been working in Germany.

STRUCTURE

Positivo

Sujeto+ have/has + been + VP terminado en "ing". You have been working.

Negativo Sujeto + have/has +not+ been+ VP terminado en"ing".You have not (haven't) been working.

Pregunta Have/has+ Sujeto+ been+ VP terminado en "ing"+? Have you been working?

AFFIRMATIVE• The guests have been arriving since about 6 o'clock.• She's been driving for 3 years now.

NEGATIVE• George hasn´t been felling very well lately.

QUESTION• have you been crying?

PAST PERFECT

We use the past perfect to talk about a past situation or activity that took place before

another past situation or activity, or before a particular time in the past.

EXAMPLES

• I had gone to bed when the phone rang.

• When he stopped laughing, everyone had left.

• I had wanted to visit the gallery before I left Florence.

STRUCTURE

Positivo Sujeto + had + Participio. You had read.

Negativo Sujeto + had +not + Participio. You had not (hadn't) read.

Pregunta Had+ Sujeto+ Participio+? Had you read?

AFFIRMATIVE• When I arrived at the party, Tom had gone home.

NEGATIVE• The house was dirty. We hadn´t cleaned it for weeks.

QUESTION• Had they drunk all night?

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We use the past perfect continuous when we talk about a situation or activity that happened

over a period up to a particular past time, or until shortly before it.

STRUCTURE

Positivo Sujeto+ had + been + VP terminado en "ing". You had been working.

Negativo Sujeto + had +not+ been+ VP terminado en"ing".You had not (hadn't) been working.

Pregunta Had+ Sujeto+ been+ VP terminado en "ing"+? Had you been working?

AFFIRMATIVE• Ken had been smoking for 30 years when he finally

gave it up.• I was very tired when I arrived home. I had been

working hard all day.

NEGATIVE• Mason was arrested, even though he hadn't been

doing anything illegal.

QUESTION• How long had you been waiting when the bus

finally came?

NARRATIVES AND STORIES

The Purpose is to entertain, motivate or teach and they are full of imagination and fantasy.

Often use past tenses to narrate them.

PARTS OF A STORY

• CHARACTER: A person, animal or imaginary creature in your story.

• SETTING: This is where and when your story takes place.

PLOT

• The Beginning

• Introduction of the Problem or Conflict

• Climax: The High Point

• Resolution: The End

Marsha and Felix

Marsha and Felix got married one Saturday in June. They

had met only one week earlier at a party and had

fallen passionately in love. Marsha rang and told her

parents her news after the wedding, when Felix had

moved into her flat.

They were surprised and angry. Unfortunately, after a few months, their marriage started to go wrong. Felix had met another woman….