C1 Narrative tenses

Narrative tenses - a quick reminder

The following are examples of narrative tenses:
Yesterday I woke up and the sun was shining. I got up and had a shower. While I was having my shower, I remembered that I’d had a very strange dream. 

Past simple - 'We left on a rainy day' 

Past continuous - 'It was pouring down even at midday' 

Past perfect - 'It had rained off and on for ten days' 

Past perfect continuous - 'We had been waiting to escape for what seemed ages'

• Past simple
  • Describes the main events of the story
  • Describes sequences of events
  • It is the 'standard' narrative tense. If in doubt, go for past simple.
• Past continuous
  • Describes unfinished actions, especially around a certain time
  • Describes longer actions interrupted by shorter ones
  • Is often used for describing background actions
  • Is sometimes used to make the actions in a story seem more immediate, especially with the word now
• Past perfect
  • Describes actions which took place before the main actions in the story
• Past perfect continuous
• Describes longer continuous actions which took place before the main actions in the story
• Is sometimes used to explain the condition of people or things at the time of the main events in the story.
• The Unlucky Burglar
  
  
  One evening Paul was watching the television and eating his supper when the door suddenly opened and a burglar came in. He was wearing a mask and carrying a sack. Before doing anything else he tied Paul to the chair.Then he went upstairs to look for money. Although he didn't find any money he found a lot of jewelry, which he put into his sack. In his rush to get downstairs he didn't see the dog lying at the bottom of the stairs, and he fellover it, losing his glasses. While the burglar was looking for them, Paul tried to free himself. Finally Paul managed  to escape and he phoned the police. As soon as the burglar had found his glasses he ran out of the house.However, unfortunately for him, the police were waiting for him at the end of the garden.
• 
  

Exercise on narrative tenses:
http://www.learnclick.com/cloze/show/1770
http://www.eltbase.com/quiz/201_01.htm

http://www.eltbase.com/get_quiz.php?id=22

The mystery story:
Last night I was walking home next to the river Thames, when something strange happened to me. It was late at night and I’d had a long and difficult day at work. There was a large full moon in the sky and everything was quiet. I was tired and lonely and I’d just had a few pints of beer in my local pub, so I decided to stop by the riverside and look at the moon for a while. I sat on some steps very close to the water’s edge and looked up at the big yellow moon and wondered if it really was made of cheese. I felt very tired so I closed my eyes and after a few minutes, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, the moon had moved behind a cloud and it was very dark and cold. The wind was blowing and an owl hooted in a tree above me. I rubbed my eyes and started to get up, when suddenly I heard a splash. I looked down at the water and saw something. Something terrible and frightening, and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Something was coming out of the water and moving towards me. Something green and strange and ugly. It was a long green arm and it was stretching out from the water to grab my leg. I was so scared that I couldn’t move. I’d never been so scared in my whole life. The cold green hand was moving closer and closer when suddenly there was a blue flash and a strange noise from behind me. Someone jumped onto the stairs next to me. He was wearing strange clothes and he had a crazy look in his eyes. He shouted “Get Back!” and pointed something at the monster in the water. There was a bright flash and the monster hissed and disappeared.

I looked up at the man. He looked strange, but kind. “Don’t fall asleep by the river when there’s a full moon”, he said “The Moon Goblins will get you.” I’d never heard of moon goblins before. I didn’t know what to do. “Who… who are you?” I asked him. “You can call me… The Doctor.” He said. I was trying to think of something else to say when he turned around and said, “Watch the stars at night, and be careful of the full moon”. I was trying to understand what he meant, when there was another blue flash and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, he had gone.

I couldn’t believe what had happened. What on earth were Moon Goblins, and who was the mysterious Doctor? And why had he saved me? I was determined to find the answers to these strange questions. I stood up, looked at the moon and quickly walked home.