Past Perfect Tense 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. Complete List of Past Perfect Forms
USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

and continued up until another action in the past. 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 NonContinuous Verbs. IMPORTANT Specific Times with 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. 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.

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. Example: She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in
with them in 1996. MOREOVER

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

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.

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

HOWEVER

Form: Had + Past Participle Use: Actions with happened, or situations which existed, before another action at a particular time in the past.

e.g.: She had drunk a bottle of water before having breakfast.

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here 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. Examples: She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct
ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Complete the sentences with the past perfect f the verbs in brackets. a) When I arrived home, my mother _____________ (try) to call me. b) She _____________ (call) twice before seeing me. c) we ( already/ study) those chapters when John told us about the test. d) You _____________ ( never / do) such a silly action. e) We had no car by the end of the year. We _____________(sell) our old one. f) I spoke to Susie at noon; someone _____________ (tell) her the news earlier. g) The plane _____________ (take off) when he got to the airport. h) I was so tired last night. I _____________ (have) such a terrible day! i) The shop was closed because the shop assistant_____________(leave) before closing times. j) The robbers _____________ (steal) all the money when the alarm rang. k) Mark slept all morning because he _____________ (be) at a club the night before. l) She _____________ ( leave) by the time I called her. m) The party _____________ ( not start) by the time I arrived. n) She mentioned that she _____________ (miss) several movies because of your late arrivals.

Examples: George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license.
Active Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license. Passive

EXERCISES Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses. I'm sorry I left without you last night, but I told you to meet me early because the show started at 8:00. I (try) to get tickets for that play for months, and I didn't want to miss it. By the time I finally left the coffee shop where we were supposed to meet, I (have) five cups of coffee and I (wait)

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses. 1. It is already 9:30 PM and I (wait) here for over an hour. If John does not get here in the next five minutes, I am going to leave. 2. I was really angry at John yesterday. By the time he finally arrived, I (wait) for over an hour. I almost left without him. 3. Did you hear that Ben was fired last month? He (work) that import company for more than ten years and he (work) almost every department. Nobody knew the company like he did. for in

over an hour. I had to leave because I (arrange) to meet Kathy in front of the theater.

When I arrived at the theater, Kathy (pick, already) up the tickets and she was waiting for us near the entrance. She was really angry because she (wait) for more than half an hour. She said she (give, almost) up and (go) into the theater without us.

4. I (see) many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small. 5. Sarah (climb) the world, and (go) adventurous person. 6. Sarah (climb) the world and (go) the Matterhorn, (sail) on safari in Kenya. She is such an around

Kathy told me you (be) late several times in the past and that she would not make plans with you again in the future. She mentioned that she (miss) several movies because of your late arrivals. I think you owe her an apology. And in the future, I suggest you be on time!

the Matterhorn, (sail)

around

on safari in Kenya by the time she turned

twenty-five. She (experience) more by that age than most people do in their entire lives. 7. When Melanie came into the office yesterday, her eyes were red and watery. I think she (cry) .

ANSWER SHEET 1. It is already 9:30 PM and I (wait) have been waiting here for over an hour. If John does not get here in the next five minutes, I am going to leave. 2. I was really angry at John yesterday. By the time he finally arrived, I (wait) had been waiting for over an hour. I almost left without him. 3. Did you hear that Ben was fired last month? He (work) had been working for that import company for more than ten years and he (work) had worked in almost every department. Nobody knew the company like he did. 4. I (see) had seen many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small. 5. Sarah (climb) has climbed the Matterhorn, (sail) sailed around the world, and (go) has gone on safari in Kenya. She is such an adventurous person. 6. Sarah (climb) had climbed the Matterhorn, (sail) sailed around the world and (go) had gone on safari in Kenya by the time she turned twenty-five. She (experience) had experienced more by that age than most people do in their entire lives. 7. When Melanie came into the office yesterday, her eyes were red and watery. I think she (cry) had been crying. I'm sorry I left without you last night, but I told you to meet me early because the show started at 8:00. I (try) had been trying to get tickets for that play for months, and I didn't want to miss it. By the time I finally left the coffee shop where we were supposed to meet, I (have) had had five cups of coffee and I (wait) had been waiting over an hour. I had to leave because I (arrange) had arranged to meet Kathy in front of the theater. When I arrived at the theater, Kathy (pick, already) had already picked up the tickets and she was waiting for us near the entrance. She was really angry because she (wait) had been waiting for more than half an hour. She said she (give, almost) had almost given up and (go) gone into the theater without us. Kathy told me you (be) had been late several times in the past and that she would not make plans with you again in the future. She mentioned that she (miss) had missed several movies because of your late arrivals. I think you owe her an apology. And in the future, I suggest you be on time!