B1 Lesson 3: Using Past Tenses Consistently in Narratives
You know how to write a story using the Simple Past tense. A common challenge for writers is tense consistency1, which means staying in the same time frame. If you start a story in the past, you must continue in the past.
Today, we will review the Simple Past and learn a new tool to make your stories more dynamic: the Past Continuous2 tense.
The Golden Rule: Be Consistent
Mixing past and present tenses in a story confuses the reader. Your main, completed actions should all be in the Simple Past.
Incorrect ❌ (Mixed Tenses)
Yesterday I went to the market. I see many people there. I buy some fish and then I go home.
Correct ✅ (Consistent Past Tense)
Yesterday I went to the market. I saw many people there. I bought some fish and then I went home.
A New Tool: The Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
We use the Past Continuous tense to describe a longer "background" action that was in progress when a shorter, main action happened. It's perfect for setting the scene.
Structure: Subject + was/were + verb-ing
Example:
I was walking home when it started to rain.
(The long, background action) (The short, interrupting action)
Combining the Tenses to Tell a Better Story
Look at how the two tenses work together to create a vivid picture.
This morning, I was sitting in a cafe by the river. The sun was shining and a gentle breeze was blowing from the sea. I was enjoying my coffee when suddenly, I heard a familiar voice. I looked up and saw my old friend from university!
Analysis: The Past Continuous verbs (was sitting, was shining, was blowing, was enjoying) set the peaceful scene. The Simple Past verbs (heard, looked, saw) describe the quick, main events that happened in that scene.
✍️ B1 Tense Consistency Checklist
- ✔️ Are all my main, completed actions in the Simple Past (e.g., I went, she saw)?
- ✔️ Have I used the Past Continuous (was/were -ing) to describe a background scene or an interrupted action?
- ✔️ Have I read my story one more time, looking only at the verbs to ensure they are all in the correct past tense?
🧠 Practice Quiz: Choose the Correct Tense
Choose the correct verb tenses to complete the sentence.
1. While I ______ (cook) dinner, my brother ______ (call) me.
- cooked / was calling
- was cooking / called
- cook / call
Answer: B. was cooking / called (The cooking was the long background action; the call was the short interruption).
2. When he ______ (arrive), we ______ (watch) a movie.
- arrived / were watching
- was arriving / watched
- arrived / watched
Answer: A. arrived / were watching (We were already in the middle of watching the movie when he arrived).
📝 Homework: Write a Dynamic Story
Get your notebook and pen. Think of a time you were doing something when something interesting or surprising happened.
Write a short story (one paragraph of 4-5 sentences) about that event.
- Use the Past Continuous to set the scene and describe what you were doing.
- Use the Simple Past to describe the surprising event that happened.
Use the checklist to make sure your tenses are consistent!
Vocabulary Glossary
- Tense Consistency: (Noun Phrase) - ការប្រើកិរិយាស័ព្ទឱ្យបានជាប់លាប់ - Using the same verb tense throughout a piece of writing, especially a story. ↩
- Past Continuous Tense: (Noun Phrase) - កិរិយាស័ព្ទអតីតកាលបន្ត - A verb tense used for a past action that was in progress (e.g., I was walking). ↩
- Consistent: (Adjective) - ជាប់លាប់ - Always behaving or happening in a similar, regular way. ↩
- Dynamic: (Adjective) - រស់រវើក - Full of energy and new ideas; interesting.
- Background Action: (Noun Phrase) - សកម្មភាពផ្ទៃខាងក្រោយ - A longer action that was happening when a shorter, main action occurred.