PAST PERFECT

Form and use

Form:
Subject + had + past participle.

He had drunk water before he went out.

He hadn’t drunk water before he went out.

Had he drunk water before he went out?

Use
1) when there are two actions in the past, one
happened before the other
EX:
Yesterday, the bus had already left when
Sarah arrived at the bus stop
We played cards after the children had gone to bed
I had never been to an opera before 'last night'.
Conditionnel type 3
If + past perfect ---> would have + past participle
EX:

If the rain hadn’t fallen the flood wouldn’t have

flowed.
If he had driven slowly he wouldn’t have crashed into

the tree.
3) Regret
Wish + past perfect
EX:

I wish Bob had passed his driving test

We wish he hadn't failed his exam

I wish I had brought extra money.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

the past perfect is used for two actions that happened

in the past. However, these two actions did NOT
happen at the same time; one activity happened before
the other.
Before Jackie got home, it had rained.
What happened first? What happened second?
First: It rained
Second: Jackie got home.
The first of the two activities uses the past perfect.
What if you want to know how long that first activity
happened? If you want to know how long the activity
happened, or if you want to express the duration of the
activity, you can use the past perfect progressive.

Before Jackie got home, it had been raining for 3

hours.

When the past perfect progressive answers a how-long

question, it often uses the words for and since.
Form:
Had been+ verb+ ing

EX:
The doctor had been training for 4 years before he
opened his own office.
Diana felt dizzy, she had been playing play station
since 6 in the morning.
Before he divorced her, she had been lying at him for 4
full years.
Exercises:
1. Work in pairs. Join a sentence from the first column with one from
the seconds to make longer sentences, using when.
e.g When the guests had left, we tidied up.

1. The guest left. a. They had a drink.

2. We unpacked our bags.
3. I read the book.
4. They signed the contract.
5. The baby fell asleep.
6. Oliver had a shower.
7. It stopped raining
8. She calmed down.
b. We continued our journey.
c. I lent it to John.
d. She explained her problem.
e. We tidied up.
f. We went out
g. They watched the film.
h. He felt much better.
2. Work in pairs. Decide how to finish the sentences. e.g.:
 When we finally got to the station .... the train had
already left.
a)When we got to the theatre...............................................

b)As soon as he got to the meeting ......................................

c)When I phoned for the job ...............................................

d)By the time we arrived......................................................

e)When I switched on the TV .............................................

f)By the time she finally got up ..........................................