Exercises C2 : use Literary tenses in English (answers)

These exercises are based on the course on literary tenses in English, with a focus on how they differ from their French counterparts. Test your ability to use narrative tenses accurately in formal written contexts.

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Exercice 1 — Literary Tenses in Context

Fill in each blank with the correct literary tense form of the verb given in brackets. Write the complete sentence as your answer.

1. As the clock ___ (strike) midnight, the manor fell into absolute silence.
2. She ___ (have) scarcely closed her eyes when the letter arrived at the door.
3. The old scholar ___ (sit) by the dying fire, his manuscripts spread before him, when the stranger entered.
4. By the time the curtain ___ (fall), the audience had already understood the bitter irony of the tale.

Correction

1. As the clock struck midnight, the manor fell into absolute silence.
2. She had scarcely closed her eyes when the letter arrived at the door.
3. The old scholar was sitting by the dying fire, his manuscripts spread before him, when the stranger entered.
4. By the time the curtain fell, the audience had already understood the bitter irony of the tale.

Exercice 2 — From Spoken to Written Register

Rewrite each sentence so that it uses an appropriate literary tense suited to formal written English narrative, without changing the core meaning. Write the complete transformed sentence.

1. He's just told her everything and now she won't speak to him.
2. She was walking through the forest when she sees the light flickering between the trees.
3. They've been living in the crumbling estate for decades before anyone noticed the truth.
4. He keeps looking back as if he's expecting someone to follow him down the narrow lane.

Correction

1. He had just told her everything, and she would not speak to him.
2. She was walking through the forest when she saw the light flickering between the trees.
3. They had been living in the crumbling estate for decades before anyone noticed the truth.
4. He kept looking back as though he expected someone to follow him down the narrow lane.

Exercice 3 — Spot the Literary Tense Error

Each sentence contains one tense error inappropriate for formal literary English. Identify the error and rewrite the complete sentence correctly.

1. The physician had examined the body and then he writes a brief, cryptic note before leaving.
2. She has entered the drawing room and immediately sensed that something was profoundly wrong.
3. For three long years, he is searching for the manuscript that would restore his family's honour.
4. The night was still and cold; no wind stirred the branches, and the river has ceased its murmuring.

Correction

1. The physician had examined the body and then wrote a brief, cryptic note before leaving.
2. She entered the drawing room and immediately sensed that something was profoundly wrong.
3. For three long years, he had been searching for the manuscript that would restore his family's honour.
4. The night was still and cold; no wind stirred the branches, and the river had ceased its murmuring.