Using the Past Perfect

Click here to learn how to MAKE the past perfect tense.

We use the past perfect tense fairly often in English.

1: A completed action before something else in the past.

 When we arrived, the film had started. (= first the film started, then later we
arrived)

2: To explain or give a reason for something in the past.

 I'd eaten dinner so I wasn't hungry.

 It had snowed in the night, so the bus didn't arrive.

3: Stative verbs only: something that started in the past and continued up to another
action in the past.

 When he graduated, he had been in London for six years.

(= he arrived in London six years before he graduated and lived there

continuously until he graduated, or even longer)

4: As part of the third conditional.

 If I had known you were ill, I would have visited you.

 Try an exercise about the past perfect and past simple here
 Try an exercise about the past perfect and past perfect continuous here

Past Perfect - Positive and Negative Make the positive or

negative past perfect simple
1) When I arrived at the cinema, the film
(start). .

2) She (live) in China before she

went to Thailand. .

3) After they (eat) the shellfish, they

began to feel sick. .
4) If you (listen) to me, you would
have got the job. .

5) Julie didn’t arrive until after I

(leave). .

6) When we (finish) dinner, we went

out. .

7) The garden was dead because it

(be) dry all summer. .

8) He (meet) her somewhere

before. .

9) We were late for the plane because we

(forget) our passports. .

10) She told me she (study) a lot

before the exam. .

11) The grass was yellow because it

(not/rain) all summer. .

12) The lights went off because we

(not/pay) the electricity bill. .

13) The children (not/do) their

homework, so they were in trouble. .

14) They (not/eat) so we went to a

restaurant. .

15) We couldn’t go into the concert because we

(not/bring) our tickets. .

16) She said that she (not/visit) the

UK before. .
17) Julie and Anne (not/meet) before
the party. .

18) I (not/have) breakfast when he

arrived. .

19) He (not/use) email before, so I

showed him how to use it. .

20) You (not/study) for the test, so

you were very nervous.
Past Perfect Simple Past
together with the Simple Past
When two past actions are combined - the
action finished in the past
first action, which was completed before the
second one began, is put into Past Perfect.
the past equivalent of the Present Perfect series of completed actions in the past

2) Signal words
Past Perfect Simple Past
no unambiguous ones yesterday, last week, a month ago, in 2002

3) Form
Past Perfect Simple Past
regular verbs: infinitive + ed
irregular verbs:
havd + past participle
2nd column of the table of the irregular
verbs

4) Examples

We use the the same form of the auxiliary (had) every time regardless the subject.

Past Perfect Simple Past

4-1 Affirmative sentences
He had played hockey.
He played hockey.
He'd played hockey.

Past Perfect Simple Past

4-2 Negative sentences
He had not played hockey.
He did not play hockey.
He'd not played hockey.
He didn't play hockey.
He hadn't played hockey.

Past Perfect Simple Past

4-3 Questions
Had he played hockey? Did he play hockey?

5) Spelling (Past Perfect and Simple Past)

stopped (Double the consonant after a short vowel.)
loved (one -e at the end of the word -> Leave out the -e and add -d.)
worried (consonant before -y ->Change to -ie.)

Past Perfect - Simple Past (Statements) -

Exercise
Explanation: Past Perfect - Simple Past contrasted

Put the verbs in brackets into the gaps in the correct tense Past Perfect or Simple Past.

Example: Pat _________ (to live) in London before he _________ (to move) to Rome.

Answer: Pat had lived in London before he moved to Rome.

1) After Fred (to spend) his holiday in Italy he (to want) to learn
Italian.
2) Jill (to phone) Dad at work before she (to leave) for her trip.
3) Susan (to turn on) the radio after she (to wash) the dishes.
4) When she (to arrive) the match already (to start).
5) After the man (to come) home he (to feed) the cat.
6) Before he (to sing) a song he (to play) the guitar.
7) She (to watch) a video after the children (to go) to bed.
8) After Eric (to make) breakfast he (to phone) his friend.
9) I (to be) very tired because I (to study) too much.
10) They (to ride) their bikes before they (to meet) their friends.

1) After Fred had spent his holiday in Italy he wanted to learn Italian.
2) Jill had phoned Dad at work before she left for her trip.
3) Susan turned on the radio after she had washed the dishes.
4) When she arrived the match had already started.
5) After the man had come home he fed the cat.
6) Before he sang a song he had played the guitar.
7) She watched a video after the children had gone to bed.
8) After Eric had made breakfast he phoned his friend.
9) I was very tired because I had studied too much.
10) They had ridden their bikes before they met their friends.