Narrative Tenses

I've been told that you have been or will be working with urban myths and superstitions. Today, we will have a look at a ghost story called "La Mala Hora". Have you ever heard of it?

And also we are going to start revising narrative tenses. Consider the opening paragraph:

My friend Isabela called me one evening before dinner. She was sobbing as she told me that she and her husband Enrique were getting divorced. He had moved out of the house earlier that day and Isabela was distraught.

1. Name the three tenses used in the introduction.

2. Why are they used?

I'm sure that, by now, you are very familiar with Past Simple. If not, feel free to watch this video.

Let's have a look at the two other major narrative tenses, in contrast with Past Simple:

3. Are the explanations clear? Do you find the examples helpful?

4. Now, going back to "La Mala Hora", read the rest of the story and put the verbs in the right tense.

My friend Isabela called me one evening before dinner. She was sobbing as she told me that she and her husband Enrique were getting divorced. He had moved out of the house earlier that day and Isabela was distraught.

I _________ (call) my husband, who was on a business trip in Chicago, and he agreed that I should go stay with Isabela for a few days to help her during this difficult time. I _________ (pack) a small suitcase and got right into the car. It was late, and it would take me at least four hours to drive from my home to Sante Fe. Isabela _________ (expect) me to arrive around midnight.

As I _________ (travel) down the dark, wet highway, I kept feeling chills, as if someone or something _________ (watch) me. I kept looking in the rear view mirror, and glancing into the back seat. No one was there. 'Don't be ridiculous', I told myself, wishing fervently that I was home in my bed instead of driving on a dark, rainy highway. There was almost no traffic, and I heartily wished that I would soon reach Sante Fe.

I turned off the highway just before I reached the city, and started down the side roads that led to Isabela's house. As I approached a small crossroads, I _________ (see) a woman step into the street directly in front of my car. I shrieked in fright and slammed on my brakes, praying I would miss her.

The car shuddered to a halt, and I looked frantically around for the woman. Then I saw her, right beside my window; she _________ (look) in at me. She _________ (have) the face of a demon, twisted, eyes glowing red, and short pointed teeth. I screamed as she leapt at my window, her clawed hands striking the glass. I _________ (put) my foot down on the accelerator and the car leapt forward. For a few terrible moments, she ran along side the car, keeping up easily and striking at me again and again. Then she fell behind and in the rear view mirror I saw her growing taller and taller, until she was as large as a tree. Red light swirled around her like mist, and she pointed after me, her mouth moving though I could not make out the words. I jerked my attention back to the road, afraid what might happen to me if my car ran off the street.

I _________ (make) it to Isabela's house in record time and flung myself out of the car, pounding on her door frantically and looking behind me to see if the demon-faced woman _________ (follow) me. Isabela came running to the door and let me in.

"Shut the door! Shut it!" I cried frantically, brushing past her into the safety of the house.

"Jane, what is wrong?" she asked, slamming the door shut. She _________ (grab) my hand and led me into the living room. I sank onto the couch and started sobbing in fear and reaction. After several minutes, I managed to gasp out my story. Isabela _________ (gasp) and said: "Are you sure you were at a crossroads when you saw her?"

I nodded, puzzled by her question.

"It must have been La malhora," Isabela said, wringing her hands.

"The bad hour?" I asked.

"This is bad, Jane. Very bad," Isabela cried. "La Malhora only appears at a crossroads when someone is going to die."

Ordinarily, I would have laughed at such a superstition, but the appearance of the demon-woman _________ (shake) me. Isabela got me a cup of hot cocoa, brought my luggage in from the car, and sent me to bed. She was so concerned for me that she _________ (not/mention)  the divorce or Enrique.

I felt much better the next morning, but I _________ (can/not) shake the feeling of dread that grew within me all day. Neither of us mentioned La Malhora, but we _________ (both/think) of her when I told Isabela that I wanted to go home. Isabela insisted on accompanying me. I flatly refused to drive after dark. I was afraid I would see the demon-woman again when I passed the crossroads.

We left the next morning, and we _________ (not/be) home more than twenty minutes when a police car pulled into my driveway. I _________ (know) at once what it meant, and so did Isabella.

The officers spoke very gently to me, but nothing could soften the news. My husband had been mugged on the way back to his hotel after dinner last night. His body _________ (not be) found until this morning. He had been shot in the head and was killed instantly.

Finally, you know that it's important to use a wide range of dramatic verbs to make the story more vivid. For example, 'sob' in paragraph 1 is much more dramatic than, say, 'cry', although both of them share a similar meaning.


5) Look up these dramatic verbs in a dictionary. Write the definition and an example -from the dictionary or one of your own:

glance
step
shriek
slam
shudder 
scream
leap
jerk
pound
gasp 

Please hand in your assignment by e-mail (mmasuyama.nes@gmail.com)