PAST PERFECT TENSE

“ had ” + past participle

Examples:

The train had gone.

I had had lunch.

He had been a waiter.

Form

Use

We use Past Perfect Tense to describe

happening before

ANOTHER ACTION

ONE ACTION

Use

Example 1:

The train had gone when I arrived at the station.

a. Both and are past actions.

b. happened before .

Use

Time diagram of Example 1:

The train had gone when I arrived at the station.

The train had gone

I arrived

Past Now Future

We don’t know when exactly the train went (Action 1) but it went at any point of time before the moment I arrived (Action 2).

Note

a. We use past perfect tense when necessary to indicate the sequence of two past actions.

Example:

She had gone out when I got home.

Note

b. If the sequence is clear, the past perfect is not always necessary.

Example:

She went out before I got home.

Note

c. However, it is often used for clarity.

Example:

She had gone out before I got home.

Note

d. We often use it when the second action is understood but not stated.

Example:

I hadn’t realised (until you told me).

Note

e(i). Compare Sentence (a) and (b)

a. When I had had dinner, I watched TV.

b. I had dinner before I watched TV.

• In both sentences (a) and (b), which action happened

first?

• How is the sequence of actions indicated in each of

the two sentences?

Note

e(ii). In Sentences (a) & (b), the action of having dinner happened first.

In (a), the sequence of action is indicated by the use of the past perfect.

In (b), the sequence of action is indicated by the use of before.

Form (Negative sentences & questions)

Negative: She hadn’t (had not) finished the homework by the time Mum came back.

Sentence: She had finished the homework by the time Mum came back.

Question: Had she finished the homework by the time Mum came back?

Exercise A

Situation: Susan and Terry returned home from holiday yesterday to find a broken window and several valuable items missing. Later, they tell the police what happened.

Exercise A (Cont’d)

Put the verb in brackets into the correct form.

(Write down the answers on a piece of paper)

Exercise A (Cont’d)P: When did you first realize someone (1) [break] into your

house?

T: Well, when we opened the front door we noticed that someone (2) [walk] through the hall in muddy shoes and (3) [break] the lock on the living-room door. and then, when we went into the kitchen, we saw that the thief, or thieves, (4) [come] in through the kitchen window; they (5) [smash] the glass and (6) [open] the window from the inside.

P: Anything missing from the kitchen?

S: As far as we can tell, there’s nothing missing from the kitchen. But it was an awful mess.

Exercise A (Cont’d)P: And what about the living room?

T: We couldn’t believe our eyes when we first went in. they (7) [throw] all the books on the floor; they (8) [search] through every drawer in the desk; they (9) [tear] open all the cushions; they (10) [pull] the carpet up; and they even (11) [smash] all the pictures.

P: And what was missing?

S: Well, that’s strange. They (12) [take] some cash and smaller pieces of silver, but they (13) [leave] a lot of valuable items. They even (14) [leave] the cheque books. I don’t understand it.

P: Something or someone probably (15) [disturb] them. It often happens. Well, we’ll do our best, but there’s not much chance of recovering your possessions, I’m afraid.

Exercise A (Key)

1. had broken

2. had walked

3. had broken

4. had come

5. had smashed

6. had opened

7. had thrown

8. had searched

9. had torn

10. had pulled

11. had even smashed

12. had taken

13. had left

14. had left

15. had probably disturbed

Exercise B

Situation: Phil had his first flying lesson yesterday. He’s now telling Richard what it was like.

Exercise B (Cont’d)

Put the verb in brackets into the correct form.

(Write down the answers on a piece of paper)

Exercise B (Cont’d)R: You ever (16) [be] in a small plane before?

P: No, and I not (17) [expect] it to be so noisy. I (18) [fly] in several different jets before, but I never even (19) [see] a small plane before yesterday.

R: The instructor (20) [realise] you were a complete beginner?

P: Oh yes. He (21) [spend] 30 minutes asking me questions before we went out of the plane. I told him I always (22) [want] to learn how to fly, but I never (23) [have] the opportunity and I not (24) [be] able to afford it before.

Exercise B (Cont’d)R: Was the lesson as exciting as you (25) [expect]?

P: Oh yes. I (26) [imagine] all sorts of things before I actually flew the plane. I (27) [think] I would get airsick; I (28) [dream] I would crash; I (29) [be] worried I would be too nervous to control the plane; I (30) [imagine] the plane would catch fire. But after the lesson, I suddenly realized that I not (31) [be] sick, that we not (32) [crash], that I (33) [control] the plane well, that the plane not (34) [catch] fire and that I actually (35) [fly] a plane for the first time in my life. It was fantastic!

Exercise B (Key)16. had you ever been

17. hadn’t expected

18. I’d flown

19. I’d never even seen

20. had the instructor realised

21. he’d spent

22. I’d always wanted

23. I’d never had

24. hadn’t been

25. you’d expected

26. I’d imagined

27. I’d thought

28. I’d dreamt

29. I’d been

30. I’d imagined

31. hadn’t been

32. hadn’t crashed

33. I’d controlled

34. hadn’t caught

35. I’d actually flown