Past Series: reporting a past series of events

Jack dozed off. (fell asleep)	Babes waved.	One winked.	He raced.	He heard a siren.	An officer followed.	He woke up.

babes – very informal word for young women

PAST – ACTIVITY CONTRAST	PAST PERFECT – TIME CONTRAST
The past tense is used to narrate a series of events. That is to say, we talk about one activity that happens after another. The focus is on what happened, not when.	We use the past perfect tense to contrast the timing of two events in the past: earlier past from later past. We use it to clarify which activity occurred before the other. We use past perfect when we place importance on the different time of the activities.
1. Jack dozed off. (fell asleep)	EARLIER	LATER
2. Two "babes" (young women) in a Corvette waved at Jack.	Jack had noticed the women in their Corvette	before they pulled along side of his car and challenged him to race.
3. They pulled up next to his car and one winked, which he understood as an offer to a race.	Jack had passed them at 120 mph	when he noticed the highway patrol behind him.
4. He raced them down the highway.
5. He heard a police siren.
6. A highway patrol officer chased after him.	LATER	EARLIER
7. He woke up from his nap (daydream).	Jack woke up and realized	that he had been dreaming.

#	FILL IN THE BLANK	OPTIONS
1.	I an average guy,	am was
2.	so you can imagine my delight when two gorgeous babes at me.	smiled had smiled
3.	Was I going to ignore them? Not me, especially since my new, red Porsche the "hottest set of wheels" on the road.	was had been
4.	The brunette at me. wink (v.) – quickly close one eye in a flirty way	winked had winked
5.	and I a kiss back	blew had blown
6.	and on the gas pedal.	stepped had stepped
7.	My Porsche in an awesome display of power.	took off had taken off
8.	I across a desert road at the speed of light, like a meteor in the sky.	flew had flown
9.	Suddenly, the sound of a siren my attention.	caught had caught
10.	I behind me and saw a highway patrol car instead of the Corvette.	looked has looked
11.	I to get away,	tried had tried
12.	but the highway patrol close behind.	kept had kept
13.	I in big trouble.	was had been
14.	What he do with me. Would he take me to jail?	would would have
15.	"Nooo!" I .	screamed had screamed
16.	as I nearly out of my desk chair ."	fell had fallen
17.	Whew! As I woke up from my nap, I realized I everything. (whew = a sound of relief, astonishment, dismay)	dreamed had dreamed had been dreaming
18.	Which tense was used to tell the sequence of events in the narration above?	past past perfect
19.	Why was the past perfect used in the last sentence, #17?	to report the last event in the series. to contrast the difference in time of the events to emphasize how the earlier event affected the later event.

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