PAST PERFECT

We use the past perfect (had + past participle) for:

1. an action which happened before another past action or before a stated time in the past: Judy
had finished her homework by seven o’clock. Judy had finished her homework before her
parents came home from work.
2. an action which finished in the past and whose result was visible at a later point in the past: He
had heard the news a few days earlier and he was still in shock.

The time expressions we use with the past perfect are: before, after, already, just, for, since, till /
until, when, by the time, by 7 o’clock etc., by Monday etc., never, etc.
Note:
When we use a time expression (e.g. after, as soon as, before, by the time (that), when) to say that two
actions or events happened one after the other, we use the past perfect for the event that happened first
and the past simple for the event that happened second: After Nick had finished reading, he put out
the light. As soon as I had put the phone down, it rang again.
With already and just we use the past perfect, not the past simple: She had just stepped into her
office when the telephone rang.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We use the past perfect continuous (had been + V-ing):
1. to put emphasis on the duration of an action which started and finished in the past, before
another action or stated time in the past, usually with for and since: He had been walking for
about an hour before he reached his destination.
2. to describe an action which lasted for some time in the past and whose result was visible in the
past: He had been travelling all night and he was exhausted. / He was exhausted because he
had been travelling all night.

The time expressions we use with the past perfect continuous are: for, since, how long, before, until,
etc.
Compare the use of the past perfect continuous and past continuous:
- When we met Simon and Pat, they had been riding. (= we met after they had finished)
- When we met Simon and Pat, they were riding. (= we met while they were riding)

Exercise 1. Put the verbs in brackets into the past perfect or the past perfect continuous tense:
1. We were all surprised when Jenny and Andy got married last year. They only
_________________________ (know) each other for a few weeks.
2. Suddenly I woke up. I was confused and I didn’t know where I was. I ____________________
(dream).
3. She __________________________ (expect) to see David again, so she was delighted when
they met at the conference.
4. Professor said he ________________________ (lecture) since the beginning of the term.
5. I offered Sue something to eat, but she wasn’t hungry. She ____________________ (just have)
breakfast.
 6. She turned the light on, lay on the sofa and took the book she _____________________ (read).
7. Mary _________________________ (break) her arm so she couldn’t write for six weeks.
8. I was sad when I sold my car. I __________________________ (have) it for a very long time.
9. They ___________________________ (walk) for hours when they stopped for a rest.
10. The shop ___________________________ (sell) the bookcase by the time I got there.
11. Mr. Black ___________________________ (teach) for thirty years before he retired.
12. We ___________________________ (own) the car for 6 months before we discovered that it
was stolen.
13. She ____________________________ (wear) high-heeled shoes, and her feet hurt.
14. By the smell in the room and his guilty expression I could tell that Alex
__________________________ (smoke).
15. She ________________________ (want) to leave the meeting early, but she felt that she ought
to stay to find out what was decided.
16. I _________________________ (work) hard, so I felt that I deserved a holiday.
17. The principal called Carmen into his office because she _____________________ (not attend)
classes.
18. My car was once again in the garage for repairs. This was the third time it
__________________________ (break down) since I got it.
19. Although she tried to hide her face, I could see that she ________________________ (cry).
20. We __________________________ (look) at the painting for about ten minutes before we
realised who the artist was.
21. By the time I got back to the bathroom, the bath ___________________________ (overflow).
22. They ___________________________ (discuss) the problem for three hours before they
finally came to a decision.
23. Paul didn’t leave for work until he __________________________ (shovel) the snow from the
drive.
24. My legs were stiff because I _____________________________ (stand) still for a long time.
25. Bill __________________________ (hope) to retire at 60, but they persuaded him to stay on
for a few more years.
26. She walked into the station only to find that the train __________________________ (leave).
27. Andrea ________________________ (practise) the piano every day for six months before she
entered the competition.
28. I _______________________________ (read) science fiction, and my mind was full of strange
images.
29. I _____________________________ (read) all my magazines and was beginning to get bored.
30. When Martha _____________________________ (check) that the children were asleep, she
went out to the concert.

Exercise 2. Translate from Russian into English using the Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous
tense.
1. Вчера я ушел с работы последним. К тому моменту ушли все, даже секретарь.
2. Он спросил меня, как пользоваться автоответчиком (answer machine). Он никогда им
раньше не пользовался и не знал, что ему нужно делать.
3. Вы вовремя пришли вчера в театр? – Нет, мы опоздали. К тому времени, когда мы туда
пришли, пьеса уже началась.
4. Несколько дней тому назад я встретил на вечеринке человека, лицо которого показалось
мне знакомым (seem familiar to sb), но я так и не вспомнил, где я его видел.
5. В обед я не был голоден, потому что плотно позавтракал (have a substantial breakfast).
6. Она оглядела (look around) комнату, чтобы убедиться в том, что ничего не оставила.
7. Вчера после работы я пошел в спортзал. Мне нужна была физическая нагрузка (exercise),
так как я весь день работал за компьютером.
8. Он совершенно забыл, что Том и Джейн уже некоторое время не поддерживают связь
друг с другом.
9. Она была уверена, что он никогда не лгал ей раньше.
10. Он был рад снова увидеть Анну. Он знал ее десять лет.
11. Она пошла в театр посмотреть комедию, которая шла (be on) уже целый месяц.
12. Мы шли несколько часов прежде чем поняли, что заблудились (get lost).
13. Я был в Брюсселе (Brussels) в прошлом году. Раньше я там не бывал.
14. К девяти часам он закончил работу. Затем он вышел на улицу. Дождь прекратился, но
было еще довольно прохладно.
15. Перед тем как сделать это открытие, ученые провели (conduct / do) множество
экспериментов.
16. Когда произошла авария, он находился за рулем уже более восьми часов.
17. Она чувствовала себя совершенно разбитой (exhausted). Весь день она много работала:
она написала три главы своей новой книги.
18. Мы говорили о том, чем занимались в последнее время.
19. Когда он вернулся в комнату, все сделали вид (pretend), что говорили не о нем.
20. Полицейский сказал ей, что она нарушила правила дорожного движения (break motoring
laws).
21. Я пытался найти работу уже больше года, когда в конце концов решил эмигрировать в
Канаду.
22. Он сказал, что долго думал об этом предложении (proposal), но еще не обсудил его со
своей женой.
23. Мегги была самой красивой девушкой, которую он когда-либо видел.
24. В маленькой комнате было темно и прохладно. Дождь шел уже несколько дней.
25. К концу года он закончил свою работу над проектом.