> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://viktor-8.gitbook.io/untitled/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://viktor-8.gitbook.io/untitled/english/narrative-tenses/exercises.md).

# Exercises

### <mark style="color:blue;">Exercise 1</mark>

1. I told John not to drive, because he <mark style="color:orange;">**had been drinking**</mark> all night.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past perfect continuous with dynamic verbs to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**longer continuous actions that started earlier in the past**</mark> than the main events of the story.
{% endhint %}

2. Why did you change the channel? I <mark style="color:orange;">**was watching**</mark> that movie.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past continuous for <mark style="color:green;">**actions in progress**</mark> in the past or longer actions interrupted by shorter actions in past simple. In the sentence above, when you changed the channel, watching the movie was in progress.
{% endhint %}

3. When I <mark style="color:orange;">**was getting**</mark> out of the shower the lights <mark style="color:orange;">**went off**</mark>.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past continuous for actions in progress in the past or <mark style="color:green;">**longer actions interrupted by shorter actions**</mark> in past simple.
{% endhint %}

4. When I saw Clara I realised that she <mark style="color:orange;">**hadn't changed**</mark> much in all those years.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past perfect simple (and not continuous) to say <mark style="color:green;">**how much of something or how many things**</mark> we had done earlier in the past.
{% endhint %}

5. When he entered the room somebody <mark style="color:orange;">**hit**</mark> him in the head.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past simple to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**past events in chronological order**</mark>; i.e. for the main events of a story.
{% endhint %}

6. He admitted that he <mark style="color:orange;">**had taken**</mark> all the money from the box.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past perfect simple to talk about earlier events and experiences, or <mark style="color:green;">**single actions completed earlier**</mark> in the past.
{% endhint %}

7. The burglar <mark style="color:orange;">**was trying**</mark> to open the safe when he <mark style="color:orange;">**heard**</mark> the owner come in.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past continuous for actions in progress in the past or <mark style="color:green;">**longer actions interrupted by shorter actions**</mark> in past simple.
{% endhint %}

8. I knew he <mark style="color:orange;">**had been crying**</mark> because his eyes were red.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past perfect continuous with dynamic verbs to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**longer continuous actions that started earlier in the past**</mark> than the main events of the story.
{% endhint %}

9. The plane in which the football  team were travelling crashed and none of them survived.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past continuous for actions in progress in the past or <mark style="color:green;">**longer actions interrupted by shorter actions**</mark> in past simple.
{% endhint %}

10. &#x20;We <mark style="color:orange;">**had been flying**</mark> for about 20 minutes when the plane was hit by turbulence.

{% hint style="info" %}
We use the past perfect continuous with dynamic verbs to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**longer continuous actions that started earlier in the past**</mark> than the main events of the story.
{% endhint %}

### <mark style="color:blue;">Exercise 2</mark>

Many years ago I [<mark style="color:orange;">**decided**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] to spend New Year's Eve with my family. I [<mark style="color:orange;">**didn't normally spend**</mark>](#user-content-fn-2)[^2] new year with my parents but I had nowhere to go, and being with my family seemed preferable to being on my own. When my parents [<mark style="color:orange;">**opened**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] the door I could see they [<mark style="color:orange;">**were smiling**</mark>](#user-content-fn-3)[^3], and that they were genuinely happy to see me. I [<mark style="color:orange;">**had been addicted**</mark>](#user-content-fn-4)[^4] to heroin for 10 years, and for them, seeing me was the confirmation that I wasn't dead in an alley. Unfortunately, I [<mark style="color:orange;">**had**</mark>](#user-content-fn-5)[^5] nothing new or exciting to tell them, just the same sad old stories. I [<mark style="color:orange;">**had been going**</mark>](#user-content-fn-6)[^6] from crappy job to crappy job, being invariably sacked, and I [<mark style="color:orange;">**had been resorting**</mark>](#user-content-fn-7)[^7] to crime whenever I was out of money. Same old, same old.

During dinner, I [<mark style="color:orange;">**drank up**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] a few glassfuls of whisky. I [<mark style="color:orange;">**needed**</mark>](#user-content-fn-8)[^8] something to ease the pain, because for the whole evening my sisters [<mark style="color:orange;">**had been looking**</mark>](#user-content-fn-9)[^9] at me with such contempt that it was unbearable. My own sisters [<mark style="color:orange;">**hated**</mark>](#user-content-fn-10)[^10] me. Then I had a moment of realisation; I [<mark style="color:orange;">**discovered**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] that they would never hate me as much as I hated myself.

When we finished dinner I [<mark style="color:orange;">**raised**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] my glass. "I'm going into rehab," I said. My parents [<mark style="color:orange;">**looked**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] at me with some kind of hope. Parents never lose hope. But my sisters just [<mark style="color:orange;">**looked**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] down with disdain. They [<mark style="color:orange;">**knew**</mark>](#user-content-fn-11)[^11] perfectly well that I had been in rehab centres many times before, and that this time wouldn't be different.

But this time it was different. After that day, I  [<mark style="color:orange;">**remembered**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1]  that look in my sisters' eyes every day, every time I [<mark style="color:orange;">**wanted**</mark>](#user-content-fn-12)[^12] to shoot some heroin. 10 years later, on a New Year's Eve, I thanked my sisters because they [<mark style="color:orange;">**had saved**</mark>](#user-content-fn-13)[^13] my life. They kissed me with their new look in their eyes, the look of love.

### <mark style="color:blue;">Exercise 3</mark>

We thought that we were on the right path when suddenly we [<mark style="color:orange;">**ran into**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] a very familiar rock and [<mark style="color:orange;">**realised**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] that we [<mark style="color:orange;">**had been walking**</mark>](#user-content-fn-14)[^14] in circles for quite a long time. We [<mark style="color:orange;">**were**</mark>](#user-content-fn-15)[^15] totally lost, and the fact that we [<mark style="color:orange;">**had already finished**</mark>](#user-content-fn-16)[^16] our water provisions wasn't very promising. We [<mark style="color:orange;">**decided**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] to go uphill because according to John, it would be easier to spot a way out from an elevated point. He [<mark style="color:orange;">**had learnt**</mark>](#user-content-fn-17)[^17] that from a documentary he [<mark style="color:orange;">**had seen**</mark>](#user-content-fn-18)[^18] about survival. But what the documentary [<mark style="color:orange;">**hadn't taught**</mark>](#user-content-fn-18)[^18] John was that maybe it’s not such a good idea to go up a mountain when you are exhausted and waterless.

We [<mark style="color:orange;">**had trekked**</mark>](#user-content-fn-19)[^19] one mile when we [<mark style="color:orange;">**started**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] to have a horrible feeling that that might be our last trek. Of course, we [<mark style="color:orange;">**didn't say**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] anything, but we could see in each other’s eyes that at that precise moment we [<mark style="color:orange;">**were thinking**</mark>](#user-content-fn-20)[^20] precisely the same. We couldn't walk any longer, so we [<mark style="color:orange;">**decided**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] to sit and rest, quietly, because neither of us wanted to share any of our gloomy thoughts.

"Hello, can I help you?" we suddenly [<mark style="color:orange;">**heard**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1]. We [<mark style="color:orange;">**raised**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] our heads and [<mark style="color:orange;">**saw**</mark>](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] a little man with slanted eyes and a childish grin. He [<mark style="color:orange;">**was standing**</mark>](#user-content-fn-21)[^21] right next to us. I wondered where he [<mark style="color:orange;">**had come**</mark>](#user-content-fn-18)[^18] from and how long he [<mark style="color:orange;">**had been standing**</mark>](#user-content-fn-22)[^22] there. But it didn't matter really, because we were safe.

[^1]: We use the past simple to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**past events in chronological order**</mark>; i.e. for the main events of a story.

[^2]: We also use the past simple to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**past habits**</mark> or <mark style="color:green;">**past states**</mark>.

[^3]: We use the past continuous for <mark style="color:green;">**actions in progress**</mark> in the past or longer actions interrupted by shorter actions in past simple.

[^4]: We use the past perfect simple with stative verbs to talk about states or situations that had started earlier in the past. We often use <mark style="color:green;">**how long**</mark>, <mark style="color:green;">**for**</mark> or <mark style="color:green;">**since**</mark>**,&#x20;**<mark style="color:green;">**always**</mark>, <mark style="color:green;">**etc**</mark>.

[^5]: We also use the past simple to talk about past habits or <mark style="color:green;">**past states**</mark>.

[^6]: We use the past perfect continuous with dynamic verbs to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**repeated actions from earlier in the past**</mark>.

[^7]: We use the past perfect continuous with dynamic verbs to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**repeated actions from earlier in the past**</mark>**.**

[^8]: <mark style="color:green;">**Need**</mark> is a stative verb.\
    We use the past simple to talk about past habits or <mark style="color:green;">**past states**</mark>.

[^9]: e use the past perfect continuous with dynamic verbs to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**longer continuous actions that started earlier**</mark> in the past than the main events of the story.

[^10]: <mark style="color:green;">**Hate**</mark> is a stative verb.\
    We use the past simple to talk about past habits or <mark style="color:green;">**past states**</mark>.

[^11]: <mark style="color:green;">**Know**</mark> is a stative verb\
    We use the past simple to talk about past habits or <mark style="color:green;">**past states**</mark>

[^12]: <mark style="color:green;">**Want**</mark> is a stative verb\
    We use the past simple to talk about past habits or <mark style="color:green;">**past states**</mark>

[^13]: We use the past perfect simple to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**earlier events and experiences**</mark>, or <mark style="color:green;">**single actions completed earlier**</mark> in the past.

[^14]: We use the <mark style="color:green;">**past perfect continuous**</mark> with action verbs to describe an action or event that started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. In the example, <mark style="color:orange;">**walk in circles**</mark> is an action that started in the past and continued until the moment they <mark style="color:orange;">**realised**</mark>.

[^15]: <mark style="color:green;">**Be**</mark> is a stative verb.\
    We use the past simple to talk about past habits or <mark style="color:green;">**past states**</mark>.

[^16]: We use the <mark style="color:green;">**past perfect**</mark> for actions or events that happened <mark style="color:green;">**before**</mark> the main events we are describing. In the story, the characters finished their water before they realised they were lost.

[^17]: We use the <mark style="color:green;">**past perfect**</mark> for actions or events that happened <mark style="color:green;">**before**</mark> the main events we are describing. In the story, John learned about survival first, and the events of the story happened later.

[^18]: We use the past perfect simple to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**earlier events and experiences, or single actions completed earlier**</mark> in the past.

[^19]: We use the <mark style="color:green;">**past perfect**</mark> for actions or events that happened <mark style="color:green;">**before**</mark> the main events we are describing. In the story, when they started to feel that they could die, the action of trekking one mile had already happened. It was a finished action. We use past perfect simple and not past perfect continuous because we say how much of something had been finished or done (one mile).

[^20]: We use the <mark style="color:green;">**past continuous**</mark> when we are describing events or actions that were <mark style="color:green;">**in progress**</mark> at certain time or moment in the past. In the story, the action of <mark style="color:green;">**thinking**</mark> was in progress at the moment we are describing.

[^21]: We use the <mark style="color:green;">**past continuous**</mark> when we are describing events or actions that were <mark style="color:green;">**in progress**</mark> at certain time or moment in the past.

[^22]: We use the past perfect continuous with dynamic verbs to talk about <mark style="color:green;">**longer continuous actions that started earlier in the past than the main events of the story**</mark>.