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Let's talk about narrative tenses.

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We use narrative tenses to talk about the past.

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We can use them to tell a story or to describe past events, including personal anecdotes.

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The four narrative tenses are the past simple, past continuous, past perfect and past perfect

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continuous, and one or more of these can be used in a sentence at the same time.

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Number one, past simple.

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We can use the past simple for actions that started and finished in the past, for example

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a series of events in someone's life or a list of different actions.

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The past simple is often used in stories and dialogue too.

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Number two, past continuous.

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We use the past continuous for background information and to describe a scene or situation

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that continued for some time.

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We can combine past simple and past continuous.

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We often use the past simple and past continuous together when one action interrupts another.

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Number three is past perfect.

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Past perfect is the past of the past.

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We can use the past perfect with the past simple together in a sentence to describe

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an action that happened before another past action.

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And finally, number four, past perfect continuous, that we use to describe something that has

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been happening over a long period of time.

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And finally, linking devices.

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When we tell a story in the past, we often use linking words or phrases to join two or

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more sentences or clauses.

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This helps the narrative to flow in a more interesting and natural way.

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So don't forget to use them and try to use some variety.

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We will talk more about them in the next presentation.

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Take care!