John woke up late feeling hungover. He got dressed quickly and went to catch the bus. At the bus stop, he had to wait a long time for the bus to arrive. When it finally came, he got on and sat down. He then checked his phone messages, where he saw a text from his friend K. This text reminded him of a secret conversation they had the previous night, where K had asked him not to share something but didn't get to reveal the full details due to an interruption.

1. Narrative
Tenses

2. John got up late that morning. He
got dressed quickly, skipped
breakfast and went out. He
walked to the bus stop. He had to
wait a long time for his bus but in
the end it came. He got on, found
a seat and sat down. Then he
took out his phone and checked
his messages. There was an SMS
from K!

3. John got up late that morning. He
got dressed quickly, skipped
breakfast and went out. He
walked to the bus stop. He had to
wait a long time for his bus but in
the end it came. He got on, found
a seat and sat down. Then he
took out his phone and checked
his messages. There was an SMS
from K!

4. Johngotuplate
thatmorning.
Hegotdressed
quickly,
skippedbreakfast
andwentout.
Hewalkedto
thebusstop.

5. The Past Simple gives us the
events in a story

6. These events are in
chronological order

7. These events are in
chronological order
We can change the order
using conjunctions of time
before, after, while, etc
but that’s a different lesson

8. These events are in
chronological order
We can change the order
using conjunctions of time
before, after, while, etc
but that’s a different lesson

9. John got up late that morning. He
was still feeling drunk from the
night before. He got dressed
quickly, skipped breakfast and
went out. He walked to the bus
stop. He had to wait a long time
for his bus but in the end it came.
He got on, found a seat and sat
down. Then he took out his phone
and checked his messages. There
was an sms from K!

10. John got up late that morning. He
was still feeling drunk from the
night before. He got dressed
quickly, skipped breakfast and
went out. He walked to the bus
stop. He had to wait a long time
for his bus but in the end it came.
He got on, found a seat and sat
down. Then he took out his phone
and checked his messages. There
was an sms from K!

11. Johngotuplate
thatmorning.
Hegotdressed
quickly,
skippedbreakfast
andwentout.
Hewalkedto
thebussop.
He was feeling drunk

12. The Past Continuous gives us
descriptions
and
background information

13. John got up late that morning. He
was still feeling drunk from the
night before. He got dressed
quickly, skipped breakfast and
went out. He walked to the bus
stop. He had to wait a long time
for his bus. He was starting to
think it would never arrive but in
the end it came. He got on, found
a seat and sat down. Then he

14. John got up late that morning. He
was still feeling drunk from the
night before. He got dressed
quickly, skipped breakfast and
went out. He walked to the bus
stop. He had to wait a long time
for his bus. He was starting to
think it would never arrive but in
the end it came. He got on, found
a seat and sat down. Then he

15. thebusarrived.
He was starting to think

16. The Past Continuous also
contrasts a long verb
to a short verb
that interrupts

17. The Past Continuous also
contrasts a long verb
to a short verb
that interrupts
This is called
interrupted action
and it is a very common
construction

18. John got up late that morning. He
was still feeling drunk from the
night before. He had been to a
very good party, several parties in
fact. He got dressed quickly,
skipped breakfast and went out.
He walked to the bus stop. He
had to wait a long time for his bus.
He was starting to think it would
never arrive but in the end it

19. John got up late that morning. He
was still feeling drunk from the
night before. He had been to a
very good party, several parties in
fact. He got dressed quickly,
skipped breakfast and went out.
He walked to the bus stop. He
had to wait a long time for his bus.
He was starting to think it would
never arrive but in the end it

20. Johnwasstilldrunk.
John had been to
several parties.

21. The Past Perfect refers to a
previous verb

22. TIME
we use the Past Perfect
to go outside the chronological
sequence of verbs in the Past
Simple

23. COMUNICATION
we use the Past Perfect
to explain one of the verbs in
the Past Simple

24. advanced points

25. EARLIER STORY
sometimes the Past Perfect
starts a new narrative outside
the timeframe of the main
narrative…

26. … Then he took out his phone and
checked his messages. There was an
SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her
confidence. She had called him to a quiet
spot and had asked him not to betray her
secret. She started to tell him things, but
she was interrupted before she could tell
him the most important thing.
Now John remembered everything. The
SMS said…

27. … Then he took out his phone and
checked his messages. There was an
SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her
confidence. She had called him to a quiet
spot and had asked him not to betray her
secret. She started to tell him things, but
she was interrupted before she could tell
him the most important thing.
Now John remembered everything. The
SMS said…

28. … Then he took out his phone and
checked his messages. There was an
SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her
confidence. She had called him to a quiet
spot and had asked him not to betray her
secret. She started to tell him things, but
she was interrupted before she could tell
him the most important thing.
Now John remembered everything. The
SMS said…
events in the time
frame of story
‘John’s morning’

29. … Then he took out his phone and
checked his messages. There was an
SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her
confidence. She had called him to a quiet
spot and had asked him not to betray her
secret. She started to tell him things, but
she was interrupted before she could tell
him the most important thing.
Now John remembered everything. The
SMS said…

30. … Then he took out his phone and
checked his messages. There was an
SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her
confidence. She had called him to a quiet
spot and had asked him not to betray her
secret. She started to tell him things, but
she was interrupted before she could tell
him the most important thing.
Now John remembered everything. The
SMS said…
events before the
time frame of story
‘at the party’

31. … Then he took out his phone and
checked his messages. There was an
SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her
confidence. She had called him to a quiet
spot and had asked him not to betray her
secret. She started to tell him things, but
she was interrupted before she could tell
him the most important thing.
Now John remembered everything. The
SMS said…

32. … Then he took out his phone and
checked his messages. There was an
SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her
confidence. She had called him to a quiet
spot and had asked him not to betray her
secret. She started to tell him things, but
she was interrupted before she could tell
him the most important thing.
Now John remembered everything. The
SMS said…
new narrative events
in the new time
frame
‘at the party’

33. … Then he took out his phone and
checked his messages. There was an
SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her
confidence. She had called him to a quiet
spot and had asked him not to betray her
secret. She started to tell him things, but
she was interrupted before she could tell
him the most important thing.
Now John remembered everything. The
SMS said…

34. … Then he took out his phone and
checked his messages. There was an
SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her
confidence. She had called him to a quiet
spot and had asked him not to betray her
secret. She started to tell him things, but
she was interrupted before she could tell
him the most important thing.
Now John remembered everything. The
SMS said…
return to previous
narrative frame
‘John’s morning’

35. REPORTED SPEECH
we (often) use the Past
Perfect to report words that
were originally in the Past
Simple (or Present Perfect)

36. I’ve been to the bar
He said (that)
he had been to the bar

37. I’ve been to the bar
He said (that)
he had been to the bar

38. I spoke to them
He said (that)
he had spoken to them

39. I spoke to them
He said (that)
he had spoken to them

41. PAIR WORK
Compose a short story starting with John’s morning
In pairs:
• decide what sort of story
horror, spy, romantic, thriller, biography
• write your story – be careful with narrative tenses
you have 20 minutes
• finish your story for homework (you need to find a way
of working together outside class)

42. John got up late that morning. He was still feeling drunk from
the night before. He had been to a very good party, several
parties in fact. He got dressed quickly, skipped breakfast and
went out. He walked to the bus stop. He had to wait a long
time for his bus. He was starting to think it would never arrive
but in the end it came. He got on, found a seat and sat down.
Then he took out his phone and checked his messages.
There was an SMS from K!
Last night she had taken him into her confidence. She had
called him to a quiet spot and had asked him not to betray
her secret. She started to tell him things, but she was
interrupted before she could tell him the most important
thing.
Now John remembered everything. The SMS said…

44. www.davidnicholson.it