NARRATIVETENSES

ONCE UPON A TIME…The beautiful princess bent over and kissed him on the top of his

head and he was instantly transformed into a handsome prince.

And so she sat down to dinner with her grandmother and the woodcutter and thought no more of the big bad wolf.

As soon as the needle pricked her finger, she fell into a deep sleep, from which she would only wake if kissed by a man who truly loved her.

The old carpenter was feeling very sad and lonely and as he bent over his work a single tear trickled down his cheek.

Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a Prince who was looking for a wife.

Sleeping BeautyLittle Red Riding Hood

Cinderella

Pinocchio

The Princess and the Frog

Past Simple vs Past Progressive

• T

Past Simple is used to talk about complete actions (long or short).

past now

The rabbit looked at his watch and ran across the field.

Alice was falling down a very deep hole.

past now

Past Progressive is used to talk about actions which were incomplete at a past time.

PAST SIMPLE AND PAST PROGRESSIVE

NOWPast

While Alice was swimming in the pool of her own tears,

a grey mouse unexpectedly appeared near her.

NOW

Past Progressive: longer action or situation. Past Simple: complete shorter action that happened while longer action was happening.

PAST PERFECT

Alice sat down the table, that had been prepared.

Earlier past past now

• is used to talk about an earlier past time .

It is also used to show some past action with the result in the past.

JABBERWOCKY

`Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe.

`Beware the Jabberwock, my son!The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jujub bird, and shunThe frumious Bandersnatch!'

He took his vorpal sword in hand:Long time the manxome foe he sought --

So rested he by the Tumtum gree,And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wook,And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

`And has thou slain the Jabberwock?Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Calloh! Callay!He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe.

He … as a magician. He … very successful and he … his own theatre. The Lumiere brothers had invented movies and he … in love with their invention. He… everything and … his own movie studio. He …,… and … in hundreds of movies. Magic tricks and illusion … his speciality.But then the war… .Tasted had changed. No one … his movies anymore.He … his movies to a company that melted them down into chemicals.

a)

b)We … (walk) past the sideshow when I… (notice) something wonderful.

I … (tinker) with machines.

NARRATIVES• A Narrative presents a connected series of events, either imaginary

or based on your own experience, in a vivid descriptive style.A good narrative should consist of:

introduction which sets the scene, creates an interesting mood to make the reader want to continue reading and to capture the reader’s attention;

main body which develops the series of events, gives vivid description of people/ places involved;

conclusion which completes the story, perhaps in an unexpected way, and may describe people’s feelings/reactions, the consequences of what happened.

Past tenses in narratives• Past Simple is used for the main events• Past Progressive is used for setting the scene• Past Perfect is used to describe an event that

happened before other main events in a story

TO SUM UP: