3rd Meeting - Past Perfect Tense

Hello, and how are you? I hope you are great because now we will talk about the past perfect tense. The past perfect tense also called the pluperfect refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned first - the tense makes it clear which one happened first. Want to know more?



  We can use the past perfect tense (had + past participle) to do this.

Look at these two sentences.

• John left the house at 7:30 yesterday morning.
• Mary rang John’s doorbell at 8:15 yesterday.

Both actions happened in the past so we use the past simple tense. But look at how we can combine the sentences.

• Mary rang John’s doorbell at 8:15 yesterday but John had already left the house.

We use the past perfect (had left) because the action happened before another action in the past (Mary rang the doorbell.)

Look at some more examples of the past perfect.

• When Mrs Brown opened the washing machine she realised she had washed someone else's laundry.
• I got a letter from Jim last week. We’d been at school together but we’d lost touch with each other.

The past perfect is used because they were at school before he received the letter. It refers to an earlier past.

Look at these 2 sentences.

• James had cooked breakfast when we got up.
• James cooked breakfast when we got up.

In the first sentence, the past perfect tells us that James cooked breakfast before we got up. In the second sentence, first we got up and then James cooked breakfast.

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

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

 Watch this video to understand more

 EXERCISE!

Put the verbs into the correct form (past perfect simple).

1. The storm destroyed the sandcastle that we (build) .
2. He (not / be) to Cape Town before 1997.
3. When she went out to play, she (do / already) her homework.
4. My brother ate all of the cake that our mum (make) .
5. The doctor took off the plaster that he (put on) six weeks before.
6. The waiter brought a drink that I (not / order) .
7. I could not remember the poem we (learn) the week before.
8. The children collected the chestnuts that (fall) from the tree.
9. (he / phone) Angie before he went to see her in London?
10. She (not / ride) a horse before that day. 

Click the show button to see the answers.

1. The storm destroyed the sandcastle that we had built.
2. He had not been to Cape Town before 1997.
3. When she went out to play, she had already done her homework.
4. My brother ate all of the cake that our mum had made.
5. The doctor took off the plaster that he had put on six weeks before.
6. The waiter brought a drink that I had not ordered.
7. I could not remember the poem we had learned the week before.
8. The children collected the chestnuts that had fallen from the tree.
9. Had he phoned Angie before he went to see her in London?
10. She had not ridden a horse before that day.