Complete the sentences with the past perfect form of the verbs in brackets.

1 Before yesterday’s match, they (not win) any of their matches.

2 Before last year, she never (be) to Granada.
3I (call) her twice before she finally sent me a message.
4 It was the first time he (hear) such beautiful music.
5 John always (think) that he wasn’t a good basketball player.
6 Laura never (be) good at dancing so she was very nervous.
7 My parents always (refuse) to let me stay out late so I was surprised when they said yes.
8I never (drink) beer before that day. It wasn’t very nice.
9 By the time I got home, I (lose) my wallet.
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D) Put the verbs from the box into the correct form of Past Perfect: 

phone build do put on learn not ride

not be make not order fall

1. The storm destroyed the sandcastle that we ___________________________.

2. He ____________________ to Cape Town before 1997. 
3. When she went out to play, she ___________ already _______________ her homework. 
4. My brother ate all of the cake that our mum _______________________. 
5. The doctor took off the plaster that he __________________________ six weeks before. 
6. The waiter brought a drink that I _________________________. 
7. I could not remember the poem we __________________ the week before. 
8. The children collected the nuts that _______________________ from the tree. 
9. ____________ he ________________ Angie before he went to see her in London? 
10. She ___________________ a horse before that day. 

B) Choose the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Perfect).

1. The removal van had arrived/ arrived before they finished/ had finished packing. 
2. Before they had moved/ moved to this town, they had lived/ lived in Chicago. 
3. After the kids had eaten/ ate their lunch, they had taken/ took a little nap. 
4. Soon after sunrise we  had cycled/ cycled to an observation point that I had never heard/ never heard
of before. 
5. By the time I had come/ came home, my mother had already prepared/ already prepared dinner. 
6. After Monica had finished/ finished her homework, she had gone out/ went out to play with her friends. 
7. By the time we had got/ got to the cinema the film had started/ started so we missed the first five
minutes.
8. When I rang the bell there was no answer. The neighbour had told/ told me that they had gone out/
went out about half an hour ago.
9. I had seen/ saw Casablanca for the first time last night. I hadn’t seen/ saw it before.
10. I had spent/ spent a week in Miami recently. I hadn’t been/ wasn’t there before.

C) Choose the correct verb to complete each part of the sentences and conjugate them in Past
Simple or Past Perfect. 

1. There was so much to see in Toledo. I _______________ to see everything but

there _________________ enough time. (not be, plan) 
2. They ________________ the body on a building site. It __________________ (in the passive!"). (find,
mutilate) 
 3. She ____________________ me she ________________ a new car. (buy, told)
4. When he _____________, Eve wasn't there. She ________________ about five minutes before.
(leave, arrive). 
5. When we ____________ in Spain, they ______________ our luggage. (lose, arrive) 
6. When I ____________, nobody _______________ the washing up. I was furious. (get back, do) 
7. In the shopping centre, I ____________ a friend who I _____________ for ages. (meet, not see) 
8. The thief _______________ right into the house freely because you ________________ the door. (not
lock, walk) 
9. We __________ the match because we ________________ the days before. (not practise, lose) 
10. At school, Jim quickly ____________ the homework that he _______________. (not do, copy)  
11. We ______________ at a restaurant last night because I _______________ anything for dinner. (eat,
not buy)
12. When we ________________, it was cold in the house because Alice __________________ the
windows. (not close, come back) 
13. All day long, Phil ____________ angry with me just because I ________________ him first. (be, not
greet) 
14. When I __________ Jane at eleven o’clock, she _____________ breakfast yet. (meet, not have) 
15. Fred _______________ my question although I ________________ him. (answer, not ask) 

F) Read this article about talk show host and actress Oprah Winfrey and fill in the blanks with either
the simple past or the past perfect tense. 

Oprah Winfrey _________________ (begin) speaking publicly in church at the age of two. By the time she
_________________ (be) twelve years old, she _________________ (already decide) what to do for a living.
She _________________ (want) to be "paid to talk". In fact, not too long afterward, she _______________
(get) her first radio job. Although she _________________ (not have) any previous experience, she
_________________ (be) hired to report the news. 
When Winfrey _________________ (get) her own TV talk show in 1986, she _________________ (already
be) a TV news reporter and _________________ (make) her acting debut in a major Hollywood movie "The
Color Purple". Oprah's warm personality _________________ (make) her TV guests comfortable. Her human-
interest stories on topics such as child abuse ___________ (touch) the hearts of her viewing audience. In fact,
Oprah, herself __________ (be) a victim. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" quickly __________ ( become) one to the
most popular shows in the United States, and by the late 1980's "Oprah Winfrey" ____________ (become) a
household word. When asked about her future, Winfrey says, "...it's so bright it burns my eyes." 

G) Complete the following text with the verbs in Past Simple or Past Perfect. 

Bob _________________ (wake) up early in the morning. He _______________ (feel) very tired because he
_________________ (sleep / not) very well the night before. A strange noise in the garden
_________________ (keep) him awake. Now it __________________ (be) six o'clock and Bob
_________________ (get) up and _________________ (go) to the bathroom where he _________________
(have) a cold shower to wake up. Then he _______________ (make) himself a nice cup of coffee. When Bob
_______________ (look) out of the kitchen window, he couldn’t believe his eyes. There ______________ (be)
a bear in his garden! He _____________ (search) Bob's garden for food last night. Bob ______________
(knock) at the window. The bear ______________ (hear) that and _________________ (run) away. But what
a mess the bear ______________ (make) in the garden!