THE PAST PERFECT

TENSE
Maja Balić Motušić, mag.educ.philol.angl.
I FOUND THAT MY SHIP HAD SAILED.
 FORM
HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE

• I knew that my ship had sailed for Colombo.

• I was feeling very hungry. I had not eaten for almost a day.

• Had not got = hadn’t got

• Had spent = ‘d spent

• I realised I hadn’t got any money. I’d spent it all in my last bar.
 INTERROGATIVE AND NEGATIVE FORM

• Had you studied English before you moved to New York?

• You had not studied English before you moved to New York.
 HOW DO WE USE THE PAST PERFECT
TENSE?
• The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in
the past.
I realised (at 23.50) that I had spent all my money in my last bar (at 23.00 hours).

• It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.
What’s more, I hadn’t got my seaman’s book with me.
 THE PAST PERFECT

had received it hit

•

• The Titanic had received many warnings before it hit the iceberg.
• To talk about a past action that ended before another action or time in the past, we use BEFORE

and AFTER. We use the Past Simple as well.

The film had started before we arrived.

• We also use the Past Perfect to show the cause of a past action.

I was tired on Monday because I hadn’t slept well the night before.

• With time expressions such as when, after, before, as soon as, by the time, by and until.

As soon as the port officials had drunk all the Master’s brandy they left the ‘’Merry Widow’’.
 SIMPLE PAST TENSE

He came to my house
after I had already left.
This action
Past Perfect
takes place
further back in
the past.
Chapter 11
 HOWEVER…
• She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct

• She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct !

• Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific

time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.
 ADVERBS
• Always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

• You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.

• Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?
 THE KEY WORDS OF THIS TENSE ARE:

after
as soon as {had+PP } Past simple
 THE KEY WORDS OF THIS TENSE ARE:

before
by the time {past simple} + had+PP
 IT IS CORRECT TO SAY:

After he had finished the meeting, he made

a telephone call.

Before he made a telephone call, he had

finished the meeting.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE PAST PERFECT TENSE IS:
AUXILIARY
  SUBJECT MAIN VERB  
VERB  
+ I had   finished .my work
before
+ You had   stopped
.me
- She had not gone .to school
- We had not .left  

? Had you   ?arrived  

? Had they   eaten ?dinner