WRITING A NARRATIVE

A.- PLAN
PARAGRAPH 1
Introduction: Where and When did the story take place? Who were the
characters?, Why were they there?, What were they doing?What was
happening around them?

(HERE YOU WILL MAINLY USE PAST SIMPLE, PAST CONTINUOUS AND
MAYBE SOME PAST PERFECT)

PARAGRAPH 2
Body: Explain the main events in the order they happened. What did
the characters do?
How did they feel?
What problem(s) did they have? Why? How did they feel?
(HERE YOU WILL MAINLY USE PAST SIMPLE AND SOME PAST
PERFECT)

PARAGRAPH 3
Outcome: What happened in the end? How was the problem solved?
How did the characters feel?
(HERE YOU WILL MAINLY USE PAST SIMPLE)

B.- TENSES AND USEFUL LANGUAGE

NARRATIVE TENSES
We usually use past tenses when writing a narrative text:
PAST SIMPLE

Two years ago Tom met a very attractive woman.

PAST
CONTINUOUS

I was speaking to Mary when suddenly somebody

shouted.

PAST
PERFECT

I had just bought the present when Tom phoned me.

TENSES

TYPICAL TIME EXPRESSIONS

PAST SIMPLE

When (cuando), Last year, etc. (el ao pasado), Five

years ago,
(hace cinco aos), etc

PAST
CONTINUOUS
PAST
PERFECT

While (mientras que), when, as

Already (ya), Ever (alguna vez), For (durante), Just
(acabar de), Never (nunca), Since(desde), Yet (todava),

After, Before, By the time, etc

LINKERS
Although
(aunque)
And (y)
(nunca a
comienzo de
oracin)
As (cuando/
ya que)
As a result
(como
resultado)
But(pero)
Consequently
(por
consiguiente,
y entonces)
For that
reason
(por esa
razn)
However (sin
embargo)
In order
to(para)
So as
to(para)
So(as que)

TIME
LINKERS
After a
while
After
that
Afterwar
ds
As soon
as
First
/firstly
Last of
all
Lastly/
Finally
Later
(on)
Next
The next
day
Then
In the
end

MEANING
Despus de
un rato
Despus de
eso
Despus
Tan pronto
como
En primer
lugar
Finalmente,
por ltimo

ADVERBS
TO
Amazingl
y
Fortunate
ly
Incredibly
Luckily
Suddenly
Unfortun
ately
More adverbs:

DESCRIBE
EVENTS
Soprendenteme
nte
Afortunadament
e
Increblemente
Afortunadament
e
De repente
Desafortunada
mente

http://www.shertonenglish.com/resources/es/adverbs/a
dverbs-manner.php

Ms tarde
A
continuacin
Al da
siguiente
Despus
Finalmente

ADJECTIVES USED TO
DESCRIBE
FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS
ADJECTIV MEANING
ES
Amazed
Sorprendido,
alucinado
Angry
Enfadado

Happy
Hot
Hungry
Lonely
Miserabl
e
Pleased

Feliz
Acalorado
Hambriento
Solo
Desdichado
Encantado

Anxious
Cold
Confused
Delighte
d
Dry
Excited
Exhauste
d
Freezing
Glad
Guilty
Grateful

Preocupado
Fro
Confundido
Encantado
Seco
Emocionado
Agotado
Congelado
Content
Culpable
Agradecido

Proud
Relieved
Sad
Scared
Shocked
Surprise
d
Terrified
Tired
Warm
Worried
Wet

Orgulloso
Aliviado
Triste
Asustado
Impactado
Sorprendido
Aterrorizado
Cansado
Tibio
Preocupado
Mojado

Exercise 1:
Put the verbs into the correct form
A. My little brother _____________(eat) all of the cake that I __________________(make).
B. The waitress ____________(buy) a dish that we _____________________(not / order) .
C. Last night I __________(can) get in because I_____________________(forget) my keys.
D. When we _____________(arrive) at the station, the train_____________________(go).
E. They ___________(not have) any money because they______________(pay) all the bills.
F. We ________(have) a big party because we___________________(pass) all our exams.
G. I _________(get) to the cinema at 6.30 but fortunately the film______________(not start) .
H. I ___________(be) exhausted because I________________(study) too much.

Exercise 2:
Put the Past Simple or the Past Perfect.
1. When their mum _______________(come) home last night, the children_______________
(eat) their dinner.
2. Yesterday I _______________(see) a woman who _______________(be) at school with
my grandfather. Isn't it strange?
3. It started to rain and I _______________(remember) that I _______________(forget)to
close my bedroom window.
4. I _______________(find) a book that I ______never ______________(read)
5. We _______________(try) to change the plane tickets but it was too late they ______
already ___________(edit) the boarding pass.
6. I _______________(think) I _______________(met) this girl before.

Exercise 3:
Fill the gaps with the verb in brackets using the Past Perfect or Past Simple.
1. By the time we _________(get) to the cinema the film _____________(start), so we
missed the first five minutes.

2. When I rang the bell there was no answer. The neighbour ___________(tell) me that they
__________________(go) about half an hour ago.
3. I ___________(see)New York for the first time last night. I __________________(not see)
it before.
4. There was so much to see in London. I ___________________(plan) to see a lot of things
but there __________(not be) enough time. I'll have to come back.
5. If she _______________________(take) my advice, it wouldn't have happened.
6. We wouldn't have had an argument, if they _______________(not mention) politics.
7. If you _______________(not park) there, you wouldn't have got a parking fine.
8. John ___________(tell) me he _______________(buy) a new car.
9. When we ___________(arrive) in Ireland, the airline company _______________(lose) our
luggage, so we ____________(have) to wait two days to get it back. Fortunately they
delivered it to the hotel.

Exercise 4:
Circle the correct answers:
1. I didn't recognize/ hadn't recognized Sue, because she cut / had cut her hair.
2. I arrived / had arrived at the shop at 6.45, but it already closed / had already closed.
3. David didn't play / hadn't played the match because he hurt / had hurt his leg.
4. When I looked / had looked everywhere for my car keys, I started / had started to panic.
5. When he had finished / finished his dinner he sat down / had sat down to watch TV.
6. It was / had been a film I didn't see / hadn't seen before.
EXERCISE 5:
Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tense (Past
Simple or PastContinuous)
Last night, while I (do) __________________ my homework, Angela (call) __________________.
She said she (call) __________________ me on her cell phone from her biology classroom at UCLA.
I (ask) __________________ her if she (wait) __________________ for class, but she said that the
professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she (talk) __________________ to me. I couldn't
believe she (make) __________________ a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on.
She said her biology professor was so boring that several of the students (sleep)_________________
in class. Some of the students (talk) __________________ about their plans for the weekend and the
student next to her (draw) __________________ a picture of a horse. When Angela (tell)
__________________ me she was not satisfied with the class, I (mention) __________________ that
my biology professor was quite good and (suggest) __________________ that she switch to my
class. While we (talk) __________________, I (hear) __________________ her professor yell, "Miss,
are you making a phone call?" Suddenly, the line went dead. I (hang) __________________ up the
phone and went to the kitchen to make dinner. As I (cut) __________________ vegetables for a
salad, the phone (ring) __________________ once again. It (be) __________________ Angela, but
this time she wasn't sitting in class