PAST PERFECT

The past perfect tense is the tense denoting that an action was completed before
another specified past time or past action. In summary, the past perfect tense is a
verb from to express completed actions such as: actions before another begins
(both in past)

In these examples, Event A is the event that happened first and Event B is the
second or more recent event:

Event A Event B
John had gone out when I arrived in the office.
Event A Event B
I had saved my before the computer crashed.
document
Event B Event A
When they arrived we had already started cooking.
Event B Event A
He was very tired because he hadn't slept well.

Forming the past perfect

The Past Perfect tense in English is composed of two parts: the past tense of the
verb to have (had) + the past participle of the main verb.

Subjec +had +past participle

t

Affirmative

She had given

Negative

She hadn't asked.

Interrogative

Had they arrived?

Interrogative Negative
Subjec +had +past participle
t

Hadn't you finished?

Verb To decide, past perfect

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I had decided I hadn't decided Had I decided?

You had decided You hadn't decided Had you decided?

She had decided She hadn't decided Had she decided?

We had decided We hadn't decided Had we decided?

They had They hadn't decided Had they decided?

decided

Exercise 1: Complete the sentence putting the verb in the past perfect form

1. She __had_lived___ in Sweden before she went to Norway. (to live)

2. After we ____had eaten____ the cornflakes, Henry came in. (to eat)
3. Before Ken ran to Kerry's house, he ___had phoned_____him. (to phone)
4. After they __had packed__ their rucksacks, they rode away on their bikes.
(to pack)
5. Gerry helped his grandma in the house because his father _had told__him
so. (to tell)
6. The cat hid under the chair because the children __had been___so loud. (to
be)
7. Before the students started to write, the teacher _had collected_ their mobile
phones. (to collect)
8. After Max __had finished__ his breakfast, he left the flat. (to finish)
9. Laura repaired her glasses because her brother __had broken__them. (to
break)
10. By the time the show began, all friends ___had arrived___. (to arrive)
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The past perfect continuous (also called past perfect progressive) is a verb tense
which is used to show that an action started in the past and continued up to
another point in the past.

Forming the "past perfect continuous"

El "past perfect continuous" is composed of two elements: the "past perfect" of
verb to be (=had been) + and the "present participle" of the main verb (+ing).

Subject had been verb + ing

I had been walking

Afirmative

She had been trying

Negative

She hadn't been sleeping

Interrogative

Had you been eating?

Neg Interrogative

Hadn't they been living?

Verb “buy” in Past Perfect Continuous

Afirmative Negative Interrogative

I had been buying I hadn't been buying Had I been buying?

 Afirmative Negative Interrogative

You had been buying You hadn't been buying Had you been buying?

She had been buying She hadn't been buying Had she been buying?

We had been buying We hadn't been buying Had we been buying?

They had been They hadn't been Had they been buying?
buying buying
 

Exercise 2: Put he verbs into the correct form using Past Perfect Continuous

1. We (sleep) __ had been sleeping__for 12 hours when he woke us up.

2. They (wait) _ had been waiting _at the station for 90 minutes when the train
finally arrived.
3. We (look for) __ had been looking __ her ring for two hours and then we
found it in the bathroom.
4. I (not / walk) __ hadn't been walking __for a long time, when it suddenly
began to rain.
5. How long (learn / she) __ had she been learning___English before she went
to London?
6. Frank Sinatra caught the flu because he (sing) __ had been singing __in the
rain too long.
7. He (drive) __ had been driving __ less than an hour when he ran out of
petrol.
8. They were very tired in the evening because they (help) __ had been
helping __on the farm all day.
9. I (not / work)__ hadn't been working ___ all day; so I wasn't tired and went
to the disco at night.
10. They (cycle) _ had been cycling __ all day so their legs were sore in the
evening.