NARRATIVE VERB FORMS

PAST SIMPLE AND PAST CONTINUOUS

We use past simple for completed actions in the past. These tell the main events of the story in the order that they happened. I woke up, had breakfast, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and went to work.
We use past continuous

for a longer action that was in progress when another (shorter) action happened. I was watching a movie when he called.
for background information that isn’t part of the main story.
when two longer actions are happening at the same time. While I was watching something on the telly my friend was playing WoW on his laptop.

→ We often use when, while and as with past continuous.

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE AND PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We usually use the past perfect simple for an action that was completed before another action in the past. After being caught red handed, the child explained what had led him to do it.
We usually use the past perfect continuous for a longer action that started before another action in the past (and often continued up to this past action).

→ We can use by the time, when, because, so, before, after, as soon as and until to make sentences with the past perfect.

When I got there, the class had already started.

→ We don’t have to use the past perfect with because, so, before, after, as soon as or until because the order of events is usually clear.

I (had) checked the train schedule before I went to the station.

→ We often use past perfect after knew, realised, thought, forgot and remembered.

TIP

When we’re telling a story, we don’t have to use the past perfect every time we refer to something further in the past. When we have established the time, we can use the past simple or the past continuous.

I told the class about the trip I had made to China 8 years ago. I had always wanted to visit this country and decided to go for it with my then relevant other. We first visited Beijing and then went north to Xi’an, from there...