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src="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/cropped-About-Words-blog-header-2560x888-1.jpg" width="1280" height="443" alt=""> </div> </a> <div id="content" class="site-content"> <div id="primary" class="content-area"> <main id="main" class="site-main" role="main"> <article id="post-9831" class="post-9831 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-grammar"> <div class="entry-wrapper"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title">When no one was looking, she opened the door: Using narrative tenses</h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">On <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2017-07-26T12:00:01+01:00">July 26, 2017</time><time class="updated" datetime="2017-08-01T08:47:39+01:00">August 1, 2017</time></a></span><span class="byline"> By <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/">Liz Walter</a></span></span><span class="cat-links">In <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/category/grammar/" rel="category tag">Grammar</a></span> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <figure id="attachment_10107" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10107" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/opening-the-door.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="10107" data-permalink="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/girl-walking-out-the-door/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/opening-the-door.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1" data-orig-size="600,400" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark III","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1440959675","copyright":"Martins Rudzitis \u00a92015","focal_length":"85","iso":"800","shutter_speed":"0.01","title":"Girl walking out the door","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="<p>mrs/Moment Open/Getty</p> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/opening-the-door.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/opening-the-door.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-10107" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/opening-the-door.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-10107" class="wp-caption-text">mrs/Moment Open/Getty</figcaption></figure> <p>by <a href="http://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/liz-walter/">Liz Walter</a></p> <p>Everyone tells stories. We do it every day, even if it’s just telling our family that we met an old friend in the supermarket. English exams often ask students to write <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/anecdote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anecdotes</a> or descriptions of past events. An important part of telling a story is using the right tenses because they show the reader or listener how the events in your story fit together. There are four main tenses that are often used for stories – in English language teaching, they are often known as the <em>narrative tenses</em>, because they are used to <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/narrate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">narrate</a> (=tell) a story.<span id="more-9831"></span></p> <p>The most common tense for stories is <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/past-simple?q=past%20simple" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the past simple</a>. We use the past simple to talk about completed actions in the past. We often use several past simple tenses, one after another:</p> <p><em>I <strong>saw</strong> an old lady. I <strong>went</strong> over to her and <strong>spoke</strong> to her.</em></p> <p>It is very common to use the past simple when a time is mentioned:</p> <p><em>On Sunday, we <strong>played</strong> tennis.</em></p> <p><em>We <strong>had</strong> a meeting at 11 o’clock.</em></p> <p>We also use <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/past-continuous" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the past continuous</a> in stories. It is used for two main reasons. The first is to set the scene before the action of the story begins:</p> <p><em>The sun <strong>was shining</strong> and the birds <strong>were singing</strong> in the trees.</em></p> <p>The second is to talk about things that were happening during a period of time:</p> <p><em>The children <strong>were picking</strong> strawberries.</em></p> <p>When we write a narrative, we often need to use the past continuous and the past simple together. We often use <em>when</em> to show a shorter, complete action or event that interrupts a longer one, and <em>while</em> to show an action or event that is completed while another action or event is in progress:</p> <p><em>He <strong>was swimming</strong> in the sea when he <strong>saw</strong> a shark.</em></p> <p><em>I <strong>met</strong> her while I <strong>was working</strong> in Istanbul.</em></p> <p>We often need to talk about things that happen before the main action of the story starts. For this we use <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/past-perfect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the past perfect</a> and <a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/past/past-perfect-continuous-i-had-been-working" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the past perfect continuous</a>. The past perfect is formed with <em>had</em> + past participle:</p> <p><em>She <strong>had</strong> never <strong>seen</strong> the document before.</em></p> <p>The past perfect continuous is formed with <em>had been</em> + <em>-ing</em> verb. It is used for showing actions or events happening over a longer period of time before the story began:</p> <p><em>They <strong>had been arguing</strong> all morning.</em></p> <p>The following paragraph shows a typical way in which these four tenses are used in a story:</p> <p><em>I <strong>was driving</strong> to work when the accident <strong>happened</strong>. It <strong>had been raining</strong> all morning and the streets <strong>were</strong> wet. I probably <strong>wasn’t concentrating</strong> enough because I <strong>was thinking</strong> about a problem I<strong>’d had</strong> at work the previous day. Anyway, I <strong>was</strong> <strong>approaching</strong> the city when a deer suddenly <strong>ran</strong> into the road. I <strong>swerved</strong> to miss it. The car <strong>skidded</strong> and I <strong>crashed</strong> into a lamppost. </em></p> <p>I hope this will help you use tenses accurately in your own narratives – let me know if you have any questions!</p> <div class="sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled"><div class="robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing"><h3 class="sd-title">Share this:</h3><div class="sd-content"><ul><li class="share-facebook"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-facebook-9831" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/?share=facebook" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Facebook" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-twitter"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="sharing-twitter-9831" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/?share=twitter" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Twitter" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-reddit"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-reddit sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/?share=reddit" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Reddit" ><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-email"><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-shared="" class="share-email sd-button share-icon no-text" href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20When%20no%20one%20was%20looking%2C%20she%20opened%20the%20door%3A%20Using%20narrative%20tenses&body=https%3A%2F%2Fdictionaryblog.cambridge.org%2F2017%2F07%2F26%2Fwhen-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses%2F&share=email" target="_blank" title="Click to email a link to a friend" data-email-share-error-title="Do you have email set up?" data-email-share-error-text="If you're having problems sharing via email, you might not have email set up for your browser. 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Thank you very much</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62271-67c70b0eea082' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62271&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62271-67c70b0eea082' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62271-67c70b0eea082'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62271"> <time datetime="2017-07-26T12:49:26+01:00"> July 26, 2017 at 12:49 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62271" data-commentid="62271" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62271" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to lorena41" aria-label="Reply to lorena41">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62275" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62275" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c477efd6dbb18357156bb39b5d3aa3d2?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c477efd6dbb18357156bb39b5d3aa3d2?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn"><a href="http://yahoo" class="url" rel="ugc external nofollow">Ghada</a></b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>👍</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62275-67c70b0eea76e' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62275&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62275-67c70b0eea76e' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62275-67c70b0eea76e'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62275"> <time datetime="2017-07-26T13:30:29+01:00"> July 26, 2017 at 1:30 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62275" data-commentid="62275" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62275" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Ghada" aria-label="Reply to Ghada">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62279" class="comment even thread-even depth-1 parent"> <article id="div-comment-62279" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e75daa2d39f786a3a14b07ddc2c63444?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e75daa2d39f786a3a14b07ddc2c63444?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Eth May</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>This is good for me that is second language to help how to use correct grammar. Next step please give advise how to use construction for question, informative and interrogative. Thanks</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62279-67c70b0eead83' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62279&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62279-67c70b0eead83' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62279-67c70b0eead83'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62279"> <time datetime="2017-07-26T15:43:02+01:00"> July 26, 2017 at 3:43 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62279" data-commentid="62279" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62279" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Eth May" aria-label="Reply to Eth May">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> <ol class="children"> <li id="comment-64491" class="comment odd alt depth-2"> <article id="div-comment-64491" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f4606d2d07fbb77540e76699a1f4bd5?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f4606d2d07fbb77540e76699a1f4bd5?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Elizabeth Walter</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>See my post of Dec 2016 for this.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-64491-67c70b0eeb372' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=64491&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-64491-67c70b0eeb372' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-64491-67c70b0eeb372'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-64491"> <time datetime="2017-11-06T12:45:42+00:00"> November 6, 2017 at 12:45 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-64491" data-commentid="64491" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-64491" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Elizabeth Walter" aria-label="Reply to Elizabeth Walter">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> </ol> </li> <li id="comment-62280" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 parent"> <article id="div-comment-62280" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8165017484b8896b2d2dd4dbe131c46d?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8165017484b8896b2d2dd4dbe131c46d?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Ary Pelegrino</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>I was checking my inbox when I saw a message from Cambridge Dictionaries among many others. I had been working hard since then and I was really tired. I had no intention to read any of them, but I was compelled for some reason to open About Words in order to relax a little bit in things that I liked so much, English. So, while I was reading the post “Using Narrative Tenses” I felt satisfaction, because I perceived how it was good and instructive. The author knew to put complicated things into word; her approach was fantastic as she knew to present the subject from simpler to more complex, giving us excellent contextualized examples. Finally, I realize after a long journey of work that I had had pleasure to read such a wonderful post and I was looking forward to presenting my compliment to Ms Walter.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62280-67c70b0eeb98b' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62280&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62280-67c70b0eeb98b' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62280-67c70b0eeb98b'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62280"> <time datetime="2017-07-26T16:09:09+01:00"> July 26, 2017 at 4:09 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62280" data-commentid="62280" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62280" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Ary Pelegrino" aria-label="Reply to Ary Pelegrino">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> <ol class="children"> <li id="comment-62425" class="comment odd alt depth-2"> <article id="div-comment-62425" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Liz Walter</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Thank you so much!</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62425-67c70b0eebf87' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62425&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62425-67c70b0eebf87' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62425-67c70b0eebf87'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62425"> <time datetime="2017-08-01T08:36:55+01:00"> August 1, 2017 at 8:36 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62425" data-commentid="62425" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62425" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Liz Walter" aria-label="Reply to Liz Walter">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> </ol> </li> <li id="comment-62289" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62289" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e69f62e0caf941c7c3ffd20027a2711c?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e69f62e0caf941c7c3ffd20027a2711c?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Anil Kumar BK</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>“It is used for showing actions or events happening over a longer period of time before the story began”: Misleading. It could be used when talking about something that had been happening before a certain point of time IN the story.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62289-67c70b0eec5df' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62289&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62289-67c70b0eec5df' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62289-67c70b0eec5df'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62289"> <time datetime="2017-07-26T18:16:09+01:00"> July 26, 2017 at 6:16 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62289" data-commentid="62289" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62289" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Anil Kumar BK" aria-label="Reply to Anil Kumar BK">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62291" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62291" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e2caa6bb39c11ac84a3c19ef086e767d?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e2caa6bb39c11ac84a3c19ef086e767d?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">rajchander1</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Thanks a lot!<br /> I’ve been thinking to practice narrating stories for 2 or 3 months but never actually did it.<br /> Now I feel it’s the perfect time to do practice with the effective stuff you posted.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62291-67c70b0eecc08' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62291&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62291-67c70b0eecc08' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62291-67c70b0eecc08'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62291"> <time datetime="2017-07-26T18:55:53+01:00"> July 26, 2017 at 6:55 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62291" data-commentid="62291" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62291" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to rajchander1" aria-label="Reply to rajchander1">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62294" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62294" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2e118619952e693efa9604a2aef49fcd?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2e118619952e693efa9604a2aef49fcd?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Alex</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Nothing better to read an article explaining some key points straight from the horse’s mouth. Best wishes from Brazil.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62294-67c70b0eed21b' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62294&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62294-67c70b0eed21b' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62294-67c70b0eed21b'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62294"> <time datetime="2017-07-26T20:56:31+01:00"> July 26, 2017 at 8:56 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62294" data-commentid="62294" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62294" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Alex" aria-label="Reply to Alex">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62298" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62298" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1f675a97caca6197aab90053d64a81c8?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1f675a97caca6197aab90053d64a81c8?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Arabinda ghosh</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Your guidance in this regard about teaching and learning English is very much helpful for we peoples. your generosity of good teaching English towards weaker sections is very much respected…</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62298-67c70b0eed82b' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62298&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62298-67c70b0eed82b' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62298-67c70b0eed82b'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62298"> <time datetime="2017-07-27T02:51:26+01:00"> July 27, 2017 at 2:51 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62298" data-commentid="62298" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62298" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Arabinda ghosh" aria-label="Reply to Arabinda ghosh">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62299" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62299" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/039c79ebd64f1aa52743a7d20a55d9e8?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/039c79ebd64f1aa52743a7d20a55d9e8?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Chouhao</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>I was always confused of these past tenses.<br /> An article provides fabulous examples of how and when to use them.<br /> Thanks a lot, it does help!</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62299-67c70b0eede2c' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62299&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62299-67c70b0eede2c' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62299-67c70b0eede2c'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62299"> <time datetime="2017-07-27T04:12:38+01:00"> July 27, 2017 at 4:12 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62299" data-commentid="62299" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62299" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Chouhao" aria-label="Reply to Chouhao">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62320" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 parent"> <article id="div-comment-62320" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f43815ec3a3a7ba2a88852af39bd54df?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f43815ec3a3a7ba2a88852af39bd54df?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Lorenzo Moscato</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>I have a question. You wrote:<br /> We often need to talk about things that happen before the main action of the story starts. For this we use the past perfect and the past perfect continuous. </p> <p>“The past perfect is formed with had/have + past participle”</p> <p>As fas as I know, the past perfect is formed with had + past participle. Have + past participle is a present perfect, which can’t be used in this context.<br /> Am I right?<br /> Thank you.<br /> Lorenzo Moscato.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62320-67c70b0eee466' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62320&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62320-67c70b0eee466' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62320-67c70b0eee466'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62320"> <time datetime="2017-07-28T09:26:36+01:00"> July 28, 2017 at 9:26 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62320" data-commentid="62320" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62320" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Lorenzo Moscato" aria-label="Reply to Lorenzo Moscato">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> <ol class="children"> <li id="comment-62426" class="comment even depth-2"> <article id="div-comment-62426" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Liz Walter</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Thank you so much! You are quite right, and I’ll get it changed.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62426-67c70b0eeea88' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62426&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62426-67c70b0eeea88' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62426-67c70b0eeea88'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62426"> <time datetime="2017-08-01T08:45:13+01:00"> August 1, 2017 at 8:45 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62426" data-commentid="62426" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62426" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Liz Walter" aria-label="Reply to Liz Walter">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> </ol> </li> <li id="comment-62322" class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62322" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/780cb59dd86fe89d46c93fd5855cc63c?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/780cb59dd86fe89d46c93fd5855cc63c?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Christine</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>So glad I read your explanations of the English language with past and present examples. I am learning Spanish and it’s helpful to know the fundamentals of my own language as a memory jogger. This has helped me with similar grammatical situations in Spanish.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62322-67c70b0eef0c1' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62322&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62322-67c70b0eef0c1' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62322-67c70b0eef0c1'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62322"> <time datetime="2017-07-28T11:15:11+01:00"> July 28, 2017 at 11:15 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62322" data-commentid="62322" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62322" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Christine" aria-label="Reply to Christine">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62323" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62323" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/67ddcbfc5629a01e238b5196646b8a6a?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/67ddcbfc5629a01e238b5196646b8a6a?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Mateusz</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Dear Liz Walter,<br /> Your articles are alwyas helpful, on account on being informative, clear and concise.<br /> Many thanks,<br /> Mateusz</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62323-67c70b0eef6da' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62323&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62323-67c70b0eef6da' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62323-67c70b0eef6da'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62323"> <time datetime="2017-07-28T11:20:23+01:00"> July 28, 2017 at 11:20 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62323" data-commentid="62323" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62323" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Mateusz" aria-label="Reply to Mateusz">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62325" class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62325" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1eff0583fd792f72c3b790d27f82cc78?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1eff0583fd792f72c3b790d27f82cc78?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Saadia</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Thanks liz</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62325-67c70b0eefcd4' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62325&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62325-67c70b0eefcd4' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62325-67c70b0eefcd4'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62325"> <time datetime="2017-07-28T11:47:11+01:00"> July 28, 2017 at 11:47 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62325" data-commentid="62325" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62325" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Saadia" aria-label="Reply to Saadia">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62327" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62327" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d6e4a236d3f283fce0c11b4d8e587929?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d6e4a236d3f283fce0c11b4d8e587929?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">shereen</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Thank you for the valuable information</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62327-67c70b0ef02e7' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62327&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62327-67c70b0ef02e7' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62327-67c70b0ef02e7'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62327"> <time datetime="2017-07-28T18:43:03+01:00"> July 28, 2017 at 6:43 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62327" data-commentid="62327" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62327" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to shereen" aria-label="Reply to shereen">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62346" class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62346" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f55ec18bb8b21a40f4677ea149cf45af?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f55ec18bb8b21a40f4677ea149cf45af?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">NSLNarasimhaswamy</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>The grammar is very educative, informative and useful.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62346-67c70b0ef08ea' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62346&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62346-67c70b0ef08ea' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62346-67c70b0ef08ea'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62346"> <time datetime="2017-07-29T12:30:42+01:00"> July 29, 2017 at 12:30 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62346" data-commentid="62346" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62346" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to NSLNarasimhaswamy" aria-label="Reply to NSLNarasimhaswamy">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62347" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 parent"> <article id="div-comment-62347" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f55ec18bb8b21a40f4677ea149cf45af?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f55ec18bb8b21a40f4677ea149cf45af?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">NSLNarasimhaswamy</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>When no one looked , she opened the door.<br /> When no one was looking she was opening the door</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62347-67c70b0ef0edd' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62347&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62347-67c70b0ef0edd' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62347-67c70b0ef0edd'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62347"> <time datetime="2017-07-29T12:35:33+01:00"> July 29, 2017 at 12:35 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62347" data-commentid="62347" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62347" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to NSLNarasimhaswamy" aria-label="Reply to NSLNarasimhaswamy">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> <ol class="children"> <li id="comment-62821" class="comment odd alt depth-2"> <article id="div-comment-62821" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Liz Walter</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>I can’t imagine a situation where the first sentence would ever be used – we usually use progressive tenses with ‘when’ and ‘while’. The second is theoretically possible, but only if you mean that she was actually in the process of opening the door – not if she had already finished opening it.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62821-67c70b0ef1503' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62821&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62821-67c70b0ef1503' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62821-67c70b0ef1503'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62821"> <time datetime="2017-08-28T11:34:42+01:00"> August 28, 2017 at 11:34 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62821" data-commentid="62821" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62821" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Liz Walter" aria-label="Reply to Liz Walter">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> </ol> </li> <li id="comment-62392" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62392" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5b15d109e74a470da34c8c10c8706f4a?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5b15d109e74a470da34c8c10c8706f4a?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Hailton</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>I started my english course a few month ago and that topics is great for help me with the grammar structures.<br /> Thanks.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62392-67c70b0ef1b06' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62392&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62392-67c70b0ef1b06' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62392-67c70b0ef1b06'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62392"> <time datetime="2017-07-30T16:44:34+01:00"> July 30, 2017 at 4:44 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62392" data-commentid="62392" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62392" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Hailton" aria-label="Reply to Hailton">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62395" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 parent"> <article id="div-comment-62395" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c2950d45c8b55cf048e41c7b1312e39a?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c2950d45c8b55cf048e41c7b1312e39a?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">sujit</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>I’d had at work at previous day. Is it had had?</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62395-67c70b0ef20f4' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62395&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62395-67c70b0ef20f4' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62395-67c70b0ef20f4'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62395"> <time datetime="2017-07-30T22:16:44+01:00"> July 30, 2017 at 10:16 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62395" data-commentid="62395" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62395" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to sujit" aria-label="Reply to sujit">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> <ol class="children"> <li id="comment-62427" class="comment even depth-2"> <article id="div-comment-62427" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Liz Walter</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>It depends on the whole context. For example, you can say: I’d had a problem at work the previous day.<br /> Or I’d been at work the previous day.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62427-67c70b0ef26e4' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62427&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62427-67c70b0ef26e4' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62427-67c70b0ef26e4'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62427"> <time datetime="2017-08-01T08:46:29+01:00"> August 1, 2017 at 8:46 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62427" data-commentid="62427" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62427" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Liz Walter" aria-label="Reply to Liz Walter">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> </ol> </li> <li id="comment-62415" class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62415" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ede7c41f6556a1080a46194b98a30362?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ede7c41f6556a1080a46194b98a30362?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Maturado</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Ok It sãs very good to me</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62415-67c70b0ef2cb9' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62415&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62415-67c70b0ef2cb9' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62415-67c70b0ef2cb9'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62415"> <time datetime="2017-07-31T21:49:22+01:00"> July 31, 2017 at 9:49 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62415" data-commentid="62415" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62415" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Maturado" aria-label="Reply to Maturado">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62416" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62416" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ede7c41f6556a1080a46194b98a30362?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ede7c41f6556a1080a46194b98a30362?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Maturado</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>I have done my exercícios every day ussing this dictionaryblog</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62416-67c70b0ef3287' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62416&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62416-67c70b0ef3287' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62416-67c70b0ef3287'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62416"> <time datetime="2017-07-31T21:51:33+01:00"> July 31, 2017 at 9:51 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62416" data-commentid="62416" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62416" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Maturado" aria-label="Reply to Maturado">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62424" class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1 parent"> <article id="div-comment-62424" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/47ba43066ddbefff5e12817617a0a2f6?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/47ba43066ddbefff5e12817617a0a2f6?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">minhua chen</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>It seems that the past continuous tense is the same as the past perfect continuous tense accroding to the above explanation.So,how can I differentiate between them and use the same correctly?</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62424-67c70b0ef3878' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62424&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62424-67c70b0ef3878' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62424-67c70b0ef3878'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62424"> <time datetime="2017-08-01T08:07:18+01:00"> August 1, 2017 at 8:07 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62424" data-commentid="62424" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62424" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to minhua chen" aria-label="Reply to minhua chen">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> <ol class="children"> <li id="comment-62428" class="comment even depth-2"> <article id="div-comment-62428" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Liz Walter</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>I apologise, that was a mistake, and I’m trying to work out how to make the correction! Present perfect continuous is ‘have/has been + -ing verb’, past perfect continuous is ‘had been + -ing verb’.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62428-67c70b0ef3e54' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62428&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62428-67c70b0ef3e54' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62428-67c70b0ef3e54'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62428"> <time datetime="2017-08-01T08:47:57+01:00"> August 1, 2017 at 8:47 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62428" data-commentid="62428" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62428" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Liz Walter" aria-label="Reply to Liz Walter">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> </ol> </li> <li id="comment-62430" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62430" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/461cc6cc2f767991418c448eb5261310?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/461cc6cc2f767991418c448eb5261310?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">ladykaterine</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>thank you very much! This blig is so simple to read and so usefull!</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62430-67c70b0f001d8' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62430&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62430-67c70b0f001d8' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62430-67c70b0f001d8'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62430"> <time datetime="2017-08-01T10:18:25+01:00"> August 1, 2017 at 10:18 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62430" data-commentid="62430" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62430" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to ladykaterine" aria-label="Reply to ladykaterine">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62434" class="comment even thread-even depth-1 parent"> <article id="div-comment-62434" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://graph.facebook.com/v2.9/1610728749211191/picture?type=large&_md5=64d185751a7922ff33e427ef69eb7be0' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9cde2314a6afdd1200029f923cb5cb48?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/app_scoped_user_id/1610728749211191/" class="url" rel="ugc external nofollow">Avi Negi</a></b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>was thinking about a problem I’d had at work the previous day. </p> <p>What is ” I’d had ” mean here please can anyone explain with example</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62434-67c70b0f007c8' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62434&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62434-67c70b0f007c8' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62434-67c70b0f007c8'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62434"> <time datetime="2017-08-01T12:04:57+01:00"> August 1, 2017 at 12:04 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62434" data-commentid="62434" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62434" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Avi Negi" aria-label="Reply to Avi Negi">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> <ol class="children"> <li id="comment-64494" class="comment odd alt depth-2"> <article id="div-comment-64494" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f4606d2d07fbb77540e76699a1f4bd5?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f4606d2d07fbb77540e76699a1f4bd5?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Elizabeth Walter</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>See my post of Dec 2016 for this.<br /> It means I had had. (I know it looks strange, but this is the past perfect form of ‘have’.)</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-64494-67c70b0f00d88' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=64494&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-64494-67c70b0f00d88' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-64494-67c70b0f00d88'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-64494"> <time datetime="2017-11-06T14:06:46+00:00"> November 6, 2017 at 2:06 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-64494" data-commentid="64494" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-64494" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Elizabeth Walter" aria-label="Reply to Elizabeth Walter">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> </ol> </li> <li id="comment-62447" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62447" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0cb4ad2cf251bf120556bd894f3f9301?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0cb4ad2cf251bf120556bd894f3f9301?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn"><a href="http://Cantabria," class="url" rel="ugc external nofollow">Pedro Gonzalez</a></b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>It has helped me reading these wanderful bits; it takes me back to my times as a student<br /> of English back to the fifteens and sixties as l arrived in the<br /> United kingdom. am now back in Spain where was born, use my time now, reading, among<br /> other things……..enjoying my retirement.<br /> Again, many thanks<br /> Peter Gonzalez.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62447-67c70b0f0136d' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62447&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62447-67c70b0f0136d' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62447-67c70b0f0136d'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62447"> <time datetime="2017-08-01T17:00:31+01:00"> August 1, 2017 at 5:00 pm </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62447" data-commentid="62447" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62447" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Pedro Gonzalez" aria-label="Reply to Pedro Gonzalez">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62518" class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62518" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/30d49cff95fa500aad34c7262581621a?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/30d49cff95fa500aad34c7262581621a?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">manar</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>THANKS eventually I have quite understood the past perfect and the past perfect continuous</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62518-67c70b0f01918' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62518&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62518-67c70b0f01918' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62518-67c70b0f01918'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62518"> <time datetime="2017-08-08T06:10:20+01:00"> August 8, 2017 at 6:10 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62518" data-commentid="62518" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62518" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to manar" aria-label="Reply to manar">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62522" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62522" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6296fc3f151e925242318c78b299fdc9?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6296fc3f151e925242318c78b299fdc9?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">RAMAKRISHNA</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>It’s really very good explanation of past tense.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62522-67c70b0f01ed1' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62522&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62522-67c70b0f01ed1' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62522-67c70b0f01ed1'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62522"> <time datetime="2017-08-08T08:50:26+01:00"> August 8, 2017 at 8:50 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62522" data-commentid="62522" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62522" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to RAMAKRISHNA" aria-label="Reply to RAMAKRISHNA">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-62685" class="comment odd alt thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-62685" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e567b412d5389920ae1f463c772799ce?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e567b412d5389920ae1f463c772799ce?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Perline</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Your articles are very helpful and informative. Thank you so much for your passion, and for sharing it.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-62685-67c70b0f024f7' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=62685&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-62685-67c70b0f024f7' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-62685-67c70b0f024f7'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-62685"> <time datetime="2017-08-20T06:27:27+01:00"> August 20, 2017 at 6:27 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-62685" data-commentid="62685" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-62685" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Perline" aria-label="Reply to Perline">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> </li> <li id="comment-235941" class="comment even thread-odd thread-alt depth-1 parent"> <article id="div-comment-235941" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5d9c9e6b8abe750c11f18f58c19253a4?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5d9c9e6b8abe750c11f18f58c19253a4?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Nata Liya</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Why “had had” is being used about previous day, rather then just past simple or past progressive, as “previous” day is similar to “yesterday”, and when the time is mentioned we usually use past simple or past provressive</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-235941-67c70b0f02aa7' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=235941&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-235941-67c70b0f02aa7' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-235941-67c70b0f02aa7'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-235941"> <time datetime="2021-07-26T05:43:40+01:00"> July 26, 2021 at 5:43 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-235941" data-commentid="235941" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-235941" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Nata Liya" aria-label="Reply to Nata Liya">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> <ol class="children"> <li id="comment-235958" class="comment odd alt depth-2 parent"> <article id="div-comment-235958" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Liz Walter</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Hi, Nata. Because it is describing something that happened before the main event the person is talking about.</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-235958-67c70b0f0304c' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=235958&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-235958-67c70b0f0304c' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-235958-67c70b0f0304c'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-235958"> <time datetime="2021-07-26T11:22:51+01:00"> July 26, 2021 at 11:22 am </time> </a> <span class="reply"><a rel="nofollow" class="comment-reply-link" href="#comment-235958" data-commentid="235958" data-postid="9831" data-belowelement="div-comment-235958" data-respondelement="respond" data-replyto="Reply to Liz Walter" aria-label="Reply to Liz Walter">Reply</a></span> </div> </article> <ol class="children"> <li id="comment-236222" class="comment even depth-3"> <article id="div-comment-236222" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5d9c9e6b8abe750c11f18f58c19253a4?s=60&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5d9c9e6b8abe750c11f18f58c19253a4?s=120&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-60 photo' height='60' width='60' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <b class="fn">Nata Liya</b> </div> </footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Thank you!</p> <div class='jetpack-comment-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-comment-wrapper-18458032-236222-67c70b0f035d1' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=18458032&comment_id=236222&origin=dictionaryblog.cambridge.org&obj_id=18458032-236222-67c70b0f035d1' data-name='like-comment-frame-18458032-236222-67c70b0f035d1'> <div class='likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes-widget-placeholder comment-likes'><span class='loading'>Loading...</span></div> <div class='comment-likes-widget jetpack-likes-widget comment-likes'><span class='comment-like-feedback'></span><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2017/07/26/when-no-one-was-looking-she-opened-the-door-using-narrative-tenses/#comment-236222"> <time datetime="2021-07-29T11:28:58+01:00"> July 29, 2021 at 11:28 am </time> </a> </div> </article> </li> </ol> </li> </ol> </li> </ol> <div id="respond" class="comment-respond"> <h3 id="reply-title" 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https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/noctourism.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=300%2C300 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/noctourism.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=400%2C400 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/noctourism.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=600%2C600 3x" alt="New words – 17 February 2025" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div><div class="widget-grid-view-image"><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/" title="Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought" class="bump-view" data-bump-view="tp"><img loading="lazy" width="200" height="200" src="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https://i0.wp.com/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rash-reckless_a0048-000236a-e1734628709790.jpg?resize=800%2C800&ssl=1 4x" alt="Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought" data-pin-nopin="true"/></a></div></div> </aside><aside id="authors-2" class="widget widget_authors"><h1 class="widget-title">Authors</h1><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/aezrac/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/26f314c4585b5bdb9d749f149ee7f10b?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/26f314c4585b5bdb9d749f149ee7f10b?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Ron Carter</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/14/a-few-words-on-corpus-linguistics-part-2/" title="A few words on corpus linguistics part 2">A few words on corpus linguistics part 2</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2011/12/12/a-few-words-on-corpus-linguistics/" title="A few words on corpus linguistics">A few words on corpus linguistics</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/cambridgewords/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aef1e4cb2fd31e8f50444ca18ada3b49?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aef1e4cb2fd31e8f50444ca18ada3b49?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Cambridge Words</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/03/03/new-words-3-march-2025/" title="New words – 3 March 2025">New words – 3 March 2025</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/24/new-words-24-february-2025/" title="New words – 24 February 2025">New words – 24 February 2025</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/colinjmcintosh/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/50053df1e6dad3114823d445b2ffaa08?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/50053df1e6dad3114823d445b2ffaa08?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>colinjmcintosh</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2016/08/02/a-life-beyond-fiction/" title="A life beyond fiction">A life beyond fiction</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2016/07/26/whats-in-a-name/" title="What’s in a name?">What’s in a name?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/domcambridge/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0f327ac6616afccb2cad6596b5597928?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0f327ac6616afccb2cad6596b5597928?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Dom Glennon</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2014/11/26/countability-grammar-codes/" title="Countability – grammar codes">Countability – grammar codes</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2014/06/04/hairdryers-and-squeaky-bums-the-colourful-world-of-football-words/" title="Hairdryers and squeaky bums: the colourful world of football words">Hairdryers and squeaky bums: the colourful world of football words</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/drheikek/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ca0ebdcb2fdc28a6eeaf6b28ca63a6cb?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ca0ebdcb2fdc28a6eeaf6b28ca63a6cb?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Dr Heike Krüsemann</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2020/08/21/how-to-stay-motivated-during-the-pandemic-what-you-told-us-and-why-it-matters/" title="How to stay motivated during the pandemic: What you told us, and why it matters">How to stay motivated during the pandemic: What you told us, and why it matters</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/hughrawson/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b0b0435c3c567be5d0f6979e5d464be5?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b0b0435c3c567be5d0f6979e5d464be5?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>hughrawson</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/07/01/janus-words-two-faced-english/" title="Janus Words – Two-faced English">Janus Words – Two-faced English</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/24/yet-more-yiddish/" title="Yet More Yiddish">Yet More Yiddish</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/katewoodford/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bac5c241ed0266a1b470307bc436f58f?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bac5c241ed0266a1b470307bc436f58f?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Kate Woodford</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/26/when-life-gives-you-lemons-fruit-idioms/" title="When life gives you lemons… (Fruit idioms)">When life gives you lemons… (Fruit idioms)</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/12/chilled-to-the-bone-or-roasting-the-effect-that-the-weather-has-on-us/" title="Chilled to the bone or roasting? (The effect that the weather has on us)">Chilled to the bone or roasting? (The effect that the weather has on us)</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/lizwalter2/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4a29a1e94375522c0920818e6d4c4249?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Liz Walter</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/19/we-was-hungry-understanding-non-standard-grammar-forms-1/" title="We was hungry: understanding non-standard grammar forms (1)">We was hungry: understanding non-standard grammar forms (1)</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2025/02/05/reckless-and-impulsive-acting-without-enough-thought/" title="Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought">Reckless and impulsive: words for acting without enough thought</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/patriciaferraz/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6cc62e6d9d2486f6f3e1d23e8ed1954c?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6cc62e6d9d2486f6f3e1d23e8ed1954c?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Patricia Ferraz</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/07/24/idioms-in-the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society/" title="Putting a spanner in the works – Idioms in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society">Putting a spanner in the works – Idioms in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2024/07/17/idioms-in-the-thursday-murder-club/" title="In for a penny, in for a pound: Idioms in The Thursday Murder Club">In for a penny, in for a pound: Idioms in The Thursday Murder Club</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/pheacock/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4e3a803c8f45bbf76eeaa384a0210bd5?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4e3a803c8f45bbf76eeaa384a0210bd5?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Paul Heacock</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2013/06/12/asadfarewell/" title="A sad farewell">A sad farewell</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/12/18/the-words-of-2012/" title="The words of 2012">The words of 2012</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/racheledf/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/13391686972a7e5cb25e9c3e7c977088?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/13391686972a7e5cb25e9c3e7c977088?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>racheledf</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/01/13/what-can-we-learn-from-emails/" title="What can we learn from emails?">What can we learn from emails?</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/author/trevorbryden/"> <img alt='1' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1bae3f8b5386d3c4e41bef30ba924e8?s=48&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c1bae3f8b5386d3c4e41bef30ba924e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> <strong>Trevor Bryden</strong></a><ul><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/04/17/mind-your-ps-and-qs/" title="Mind your p’s and q’s">Mind your p’s and q’s</a></li><li><a href="https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2012/02/27/what-makes-a-litter/" title="What makes a litter?">What makes a litter?</a></li></ul></li></ul></aside><aside id="twitter_timeline-3" 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