Past Perfect

The First of The Perfect Tenses

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We use past perfect to show that smth.
happened before a specific time in the past.
Now
Future
Past
1999
2001
2005
became famous
got the Oscar
died
By 1999 Oprah Winfrey had become famous.
After she had become famous, she got the Oscar.
Before she died in 2005, she had got the Oscar.
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FORM
[had + past participle]
Examples:
You had studied English before you moved to New York.
Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
You had not studied English before you moved to New York.
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Past Perfect Forms
Positive Negative Question
I had finished.
You had finished.
We had finished.
They had finished.
He had finished.
She had finished.
It had finished.
I had not finished.
You had not finished.
We had not finished.
They had not finished.
He had not finished.
She had not finished.
It had not finished.
Had I finished?
Had you finished?
Had we finished?
Had they finished?
Had he finished?
Had she finished?
Had it finished?
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USE 1 Completed Action Before
Something in the Past
Past
Present Future
X
The Past Perfect expresses the idea that
something occurred before another action in
the past. It can also show that something
happened before a specific time in the past.
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Examples:
I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city
several times.
Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
She only understood the movie because she had read the
book.
Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not
booked in advance.
A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.
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USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past
(Non-Continuous Verbs)
Past
Present Future
X
With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-
continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the
Past Perfect to show that something started
in the past and continued up until another
action in the past.
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Examples:
We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London
for over eight years.
They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned
it for more than forty years.
Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to
Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed
Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are
sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-
Continuous Verbs.
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IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect
Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific
time words or phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this
is possible, it is usually not necessary.
Past
Present Future
X X
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Example:
She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she
moved in with them in 1996.
If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past
can be used instead of the Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used
in the sentence. The words "before" and "after" actually tell you what
happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both
sentences below are correct.
Examples:
She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she
moved in with them in 1996.
She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she
moved in with them in 1996.

MOREOVER
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AFTER had+v3, v2
AS SOON AS past perf., past tense

Eg: After the doctor had examined me, he wrote a
prescription.

BEFORE v2 , had+ v3
BY THE TIME past tense, past perf.
WHEN

Eg: Before the doctor wrote a prescription, he had
examined me.
CONJUNCTIONS


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First the burglars left the building. Then the police arrived.
After the burglars ___________________ the building,the police
________________.
By the time the police ________________, the burglars
________________.
had left
arrived
had left
arrived
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First I learned French. Then I went
to France.
I ____________________ French before
I __________ to France.
I __________________ to France after
I _______________ French.
After I _____________ French, I
_______________ to France.
Before I _____________ to
France,I ______________ French.
went
had learned
went
had learned
went
went
had learned
had learned
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I read the book,then I watched its film.
After I ________________ the book, I _____________
its film.
Before I ________________ the film, I ______________
its book.
I ___________________ the book before I
______________ the film.
I _______________ the film after I
________________ the book.
had read watched
had read
had read
had read
watched
watched
watched
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OPEN THE BRACKETS
1) Sam (be) ___________ a newspaper reporter before he
(become) __________ businessman.
2) I (feel)___________ a little better after I (take)
_________ the painkiller.
3) I was late. The teacher(give/already) _____________
a quiz when I (get) _________ to class.
1) It was raining hard,but by the time the course (be)
______________over, the rain (stop)_____________.
2) Millions of years ago, dinosaurs (roam) _________ the
earth, but they (become) ______________ extinct by
the humankind first (appear)____________.
3) I(see/never) ________________ any of Picassos
paintings before I (visit)___________ the art museum.
4) Yesterday at a restaurant,I (see) _________ Pam
Donelly, an old friend of mine.I (not/see) __________
her for years. At first,I (not/recognize) __________ her
because she (lose) ________ a great deal of weight.
had been
became
felt
had taken
had already given
got
was had stopped
roamed
became
had appeared
had never
seen
visited
saw
havent seen
didnt/ couldnt recognize
had lost
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