If a story is told in past tense, which tense should be used for verbs describing past events?

• A. Present tense
• B. Past tense
• C. Future tense
• D. Present perfect

Answer: (B)

In a story told in past tense, the verbs that describe events that happened in the story are written in past tense. This keeps the timeline clear and shows that these actions occurred before the moment of narration. For example, "She walked to the store, bought bread, and returned home." Each verb is in simple past, signaling completed actions in the story’s timeline. Using past tense for past events helps readers follow what happened in order. If you switched to present tense, it would feel like the action is happening now and disrupt the flow of a past-tense narrative. Future tense would describe events that haven’t happened yet, changing the time frame. Present perfect expresses actions connected to the present moment, which isn’t the usual pattern for a straightforward past-story narration. So, the verbs describing past events should stay in past tense.