What are narrative tenses?

So what are the narrative tense & why do we need them?

The narrative tense refers to the way a story is told and the perspective from which it is told. There are several different narrative tenses used in literature, each with its own characteristics and purpose.

What do we use it for?

We use the narrative tense to indicate the time frame of a story and to create a sense of flow and continuity. Each narrative tense has its own characteristics and uses, and by choosing the appropriate tense, a writer can create a specific atmosphere and mood, and control the flow of time in a story.

The past tense is the most commonly used narrative tense because it is the most straightforward way to tell a story, it allows the reader to see the events unfold in a logical progression, it creates a sense of distance between the story and the reader and it makes it easier for the reader to understand the context of the story.

The present tense is used to create a sense of immediacy and realism, making the story feel like it is happening in real-time, it can also be used to create suspense and tension in the story.

The future tense is used to create a sense of anticipation and to show the reader what is going to happen in the future.

The past perfect, past continuous and future perfect tenses are used to indicate the relationship between different events in the story. The past perfect and past continuous are used to indicate that an action has already been completed or was in progress at a specific point in the past. The future perfect is used to indicate that an action will have been completed before another action in the future.

In summary, the narrative tense is a powerful tool for writers to control the flow of time and create a specific atmosphere and mood in a story, it helps the reader to understand the context and to follow the sequence of events.

What are narrative tenses?
Here are a few examples of them

Past Tense: This is the most common narrative tense, where the story is told as if it has already happened in the past. For example: “She walked through the forest, the leaves crunching under her feet.”
Present Tense: This narrative tense is used to create a sense of immediacy and to make the story feel more real and happening in the present moment. For example: “He sees the wolf in the distance and knows he needs to run.”
Future Tense: This narrative tense is used to tell a story that will happen in the future.
For example: “He will be walking through the forest, the leaves crunching under his feet”
Past Perfect Tense: This narrative tense is used to indicate that an action has been completed before another action in the past. For example: “She had walked through the forest, the leaves crunching under her feet”
Past Continuous Tense: This narrative tense is used to indicate that an action was in progress at a specific point in the past. For example: “She was walking through the forest, the leaves crunching under her feet”
Future perfect Tense: This narrative tense is used to indicate that an action will have been completed before another action in the future. For example: “He will have walked through the forest, the leaves crunching under his feet”

What tense is used in this short story?

Once upon a time, there was a dog named Max and a cat named Milly.

Max was a big, friendly Labrador Retriever who loved to play fetch and go for long walks. Milly was a small, mischievous Siamese cat who loved to hide in tight spaces and play pranks on Max.

One day, Max and Milly were out in the backyard together. Max was running around and playing with his ball, while Milly was lounging in the sun. Suddenly, Milly spotted a bird flying overhead and took off after it. Max, not wanting to be left out of the fun, chased after Milly.

They ran across the yard, through the garden, and into the woods. Max was having a great time, but Milly soon realized that she had no idea where she was. She turned around to try and find her way back, but Max was nowhere to be seen.

After a few minutes of searching, Milly heard a familiar bark. She followed the sound and soon found Max, who had gotten stuck in a thorn bush. Milly helped Max out of the bush and they both returned home, tired but happy. From that day on, Max and Milly were even closer friends.

ANSWER: What tense is used here?

The text is written in the past tense.
It describes past actions and events that have already happened. It starts with a description of the characters Max and Milly and their habits in the past.

The story then tells of an event that happened one day, the actions of Max and Milly and how they got lost and found each other again.

The text ends with the sentence “From that day on, Max and Milly were even closer friends” which is a conclusion of the event and a change in the relationship between the two characters after the event.