THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

Form: Past tense of TO HAVE (had) + past participle

affirmative negative interrogative

I Had I worked?
you had worked had not worked Had you worked?
(hadn’t worked)
she Had she worked?
he had worked had not worked Had he worked?
it (hadn’t worked) Had it worked?
we Had we worked?
you had worked had not worked Had you worked?
they (hadn’t worked) Had they worked?
Uses:
- Action which began in the past before the
time of speaking in the past and:
a) Was still continuing at that time
e.g. Bill was in uniform when I met him. He had been a soldier
since he was 17, and planned to stay in the army till he was
thirty.

b) Stopped at that time or just before it

e.g. Peter, who had waited for an hour, was very angry when
his sister finally appeared.

c) Stopped some time before speaking

e.g. He had served in the army for 10 years. Then he retired
and married.
- Action which began in the past before some
other past action:

e.g. On the New York Stock Exchange the Nasaq index had
opened higher, but fell back to 1,578 in morning trading.

- BEFORE / AFTER
e.g. The police caught the thieves after they had left the house.
e.g. The thieves had tied the old lady before they left the house.
- The past perfect is often used with verbs of thinking (know,
realise, remember, be sure, think)
e.g. David knew he’d seen her somewhere before.
When I got to the office I realised I’d left all my papers
behind.

- Compare:
1. Sue left at 2 pm. We arrived at her office at 2.30.
2. When we arrived at Sue’s office, she had left.
THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
had been + present participle

affirmative negative interrogative

I Had I been working?
you had been working had not been working Had you been working?
(hadn’t been working)
she Had she been working?
he had been working had not been working Had he been working?
it (hadn’t been working) Had it been working?
we Had we been working?
had been working
you had not been working Had you been working?
they (hadn’t been working) Had they been working?
• Uses:
- A situation that was in progress up to a certain point in the past.
It often emphasises the duration of time.

e.g. Before he left IBM Plattaner had been putting together a

software package for the UK-based chemical company ICI.

- Looking back from a point of time in the past. The past perfect
continuous looks back at a situation in progress.

e.g. The economic situation was quite healthy. The central bank
had lowered interest rates because inflation had been falling
steadily for several years.
 Underline the correct words. This exercise includes examples of the past perfect.
used to, the past simple and past continuous.

1 While I looked/was looking for my keys, I suddenly remembered I left/had

left them at home.
2 In those days the unions used to/had used to go on strike whenever there
was/was being a problem.
3 After they were buying/had bought the company, they started/were
starting to make a lot of people redundant.
4 Jack used to have/was having a Mac, but then he used to
change/changed to a Pc.
5 I asked about my package in reception, but they said/were saying that it
still hadn't arrived/wasn't arriving.
6 I was sure that I used to lock/had locked the door to my office last night,
but it was/had been open this morning.
7 I'm sure that the winters used to be/had been colder when I was a child. I
remember that we used to walk/were walking to school in the snow every
winter.
8 I had gone/went back to the restaurant to look for my umbrella, but
found/was finding that someone took / had taken it.
9 When George saw/was seeing Diane at the seminar, he knew/was
knowing that he met/had met her somewhere before.
10 While I had/was having breakfast I looked/was looking at the financial
pages to see the share prices. I saw/was seeing that my original
investment grew/had grown by over 40%.
1 I (arrive) in England in the middle of July. I
(be) told that England (be) shrouded in fog all
year round, so I (be) quite surprised to find that it
was merely raining. 2 I (ask) another passenger,
an Englishman, about the fog and he (say) that
there (not be) any since the previous February.
3 If I (want) fog, he said, I (come) at quite the
wrong time. 4 However, he (tell) me that I could
buy tinned fog at a shop in Shaftsbury Avenue. 5
He (admit) that he never (buy) fog there himself
but (assure) me that they (sell) good quality fog
and that it (not be) expensive. I suppose he
(joke).
1 When the old lady (return) to her flat she (see) at
once that burglars (break) in during her absence,
because the front door (be) open and everything in
the flat (be) upside down. 2 The burglars
themselves (be) no longer there, but they probably
only just (leave) because a cigarette was still
burning on an ornamental table. 3 Probably they
(hear) the lift coming up and (run) down the fire
escape. 4 They (help) themselves to her whisky
too but there (be) a little left, so she (pour) herself
out a drink. 5 She (wonder) if they (find) her
jewellery and rather (hope) that they had. 6 The
jewellery (be) given her by her husband, who (die)
some years before. 7 Since his death she (not
have) the heart to wear it, yet she (not like) to sell
it.
1 When I (open) the door I (see) a man on his
knees. 2 He clearly (listen) to our conversation and
I (wonder) how much he (hear). 3 When I (ask) him
what he (do), he (say) that he (drop) a 50p piece
outside the door and (look) for it. 4 I (not see) any
sign of the money, but I (find) a small notebook and
pencil which he probably (drop) when the door
(open) suddenly. 5 So he (take) notes of our
conversation! 6 The notes (be) written in a foreign
language, so I (turn) to the stranger and (ask) him
to translate. 7 But he (pull) my hat over my eyes
and (run) off down the corridor. 8 By the time I
(recover) from the shock he (disappear) round the
corner. 9 Curiously enough, when I (move) my foot
I (find) that I (stand) on a 50p piece. 10 Perhaps he
(tell) the truth after all!