Past Perfect Tense
What is the past perfect tense?
The past perfect tense is a tense that is used to indicate the actions that began and finished in the past before any other action started in the past. As the name suggests, past perfect tense is a part of the perfect tense and thus indicates completed actions. In other words, it describes the first completed activity, and then another activity that took place before the present time. The past perfect tense can be used to provide information about the following scenarios:
- To indicate the order of more than one past event.
- To denote the time until a certain point in the past.
- To inform that action was incomplete and not done at a specific time in the past when a simple past action took place.
Uses of the past perfect tense?
The Past Perfect tense expresses an action in the past before another action in the past. This is the past in the past.
>> for something that started in the past and continued up to a given time in the past:
- When Sunil died, he and Anita had been married for nearly fifty-five years.
- I didn’t want to move. I had lived in Gorariya all my life.
>> when we are reporting our experience up to a point in the past:
- My eighteenth birthday was the worst day I had ever had.
- I was pleased to meet George. I hadn’t met him before, even though I had met his wife several times.
>> for something that happened in the past and is important at a later time in the past:
- I couldn’t get into the house. I had lost my keys.
- Sunita wasn’t at home. She had gone shopping.
>> Indicating the order of events in the past
- When She came, Raju had gone home.
- When my mom arrived, my friends had left.
- The train had arrived on the second platform when we reached the station.
>> Representing an incomplete action that was not done in a specific time in the past before another simple past action
- The students had gone for their games period before the teacher could inform them about the assignment they had to do.
- It was so unfortunate that Finn had died before the series was over.
Rules for Affirmative Sentences in the Past Perfect Tense
Subject + had + past participle (verb III form) + rest of the sentence.
Examples:
- She had met him before the party.
- I did not have any cash because I had lost my purse.
- I had lived in California before moving to Texas.
- The cat had chased the bird before it flew out of the yard.
- They had just left the scene when the ambulance arrived.
- The bus had just left when we got to the stop.
- I had written articles on various topics before he came.
- He had read different kinds of books before you came.
- They had played football on that field before it started to rain.
- She had gone to the coffee shop before she came home.
- He had studied in the library before he came to the class.
- I came here after you had left.
- We had shopped in that shop before we came home.
- We had watched a movie in that Cineplex before he came.
- You had shopped in that market before you came home.
- I had practiced the songs before the program started.
- I had listened to melodious songs before I started the work.
Rules for Negative Sentences in the Past Perfect Tense
Subject + had not + past participle (verb III form) + rest of the sentence.
Examples:
- She had not met him before the party.
- I had not lived in California before moving to Texas.
- The cat had not chased the bird before it flew out of the yard.
- They had not just left the scene when the ambulance arrived.
- The bus had not just left when we got to the stop.
- I had not written articles on various topics before he came.
- He had not read different kinds of books before you came.
- They had not played football on that field before it started to rain.
- She had not gone to the coffee shop before she came home.
- He had not studied in the library before he came to the class.
- I came here after you had not left.
- We had not shopped in that shop before we came home.
- We had not watched a movie in that Cineplex before he came.
- You had not shopped in that market before you came home.
- I had not practiced the songs before the program started.
- I had not listened to melodious songs before I started the work.
Rules for Interrogative Sentences in the Past Perfect Tense
There are two types of Interrogative sentences:
Yes/No type of question
The sentences which start with helping verbs or auxiliary verbs are called the Yes/No type of question.
Structure of Yes/No Type: Had + subject + past participle (verb III form) + rest of the sentence?
Examples:
- Had she met him before the party?
- Had I lived in California before moving to Texas?
- Had the cat chased the bird before it flew out of the yard?
- Had they just left the scene when the ambulance arrived?
- Had the bus just left when we got to the stop?
- Had I written articles on various topics before he came?
- Had he read different kinds of books before you came?
- Had they played football on that field before it started to rain?
- Had she gone to the coffee shop before she came home?
- Had he studied in the library before he came to the class?
- Had we shopped in that shop before we came home?
- Had we watched a movie in that Cineplex before he came?
- Had you shopped in that market before you came home?
- Had I practiced the songs before the program started?
- Had I listened to melodious songs before I started the work?
Wh-word type of question
The sentences which start with question words are called the Wh-word type of questions.
Structure for wh-word: Question word + had + subject + past participle (third form of verb) + rest of the sentence.
- Why had she met him before the party?
- Why had I lived in California before moving to Texas?
- How had the cat chased the bird before it flew out of the yard?
- Where had they just left the scene when the ambulance arrived?
- How had the bus left when we got to the stop?
- How had I written articles on various topics before he came?
- Why had he read different kinds of books before you came?
- When had they played football on that field before it started to rain?
- How had she gone to the coffee shop before she came home?
Rules for Interrogative Negative Sentences in the Past Perfect Tense
Structure of Yes/No Type: Had + subject + not + past participle (verb III form) + rest of the sentence.
Examples:
- Had she not met him before the party?
- Had I not lived in California before moving to Texas?
- Had the cat not chased the bird before it flew out of the yard?
- Had they not just left the scene when the ambulance arrived?
- Had the bus not just left when we got to the stop?
- Had I not written articles on various topics before he came?
- Had he not read different kinds of books before you came?
- Had they not played football in that field before it started to rain?
- Had she not gone to the coffee shop before she came home?
- Had he not studied in the library before he came to the class?
- Had we not shopped in that shop before we came home?
- Had we not watched a movie in that Cineplex before he came?
- Had you not shopped in that market before you came home?
- Had I not practiced the songs before the program started?
- Had I not listened to melodious songs before I started the work?
Wh-word Negative type of question
Structure for wh-word: Question word + had + subject + not + past participle (third form of verb) + rest of the sentence.
- Why had she not met him before the party?
- Why had I not lived in California before moving to Texas?
- How had the cat not chased the bird before it flew out of the yard?
- Where had they not just left the scene when the ambulance arrived?
- How had the bus not left when we got to the stop?
- How had I not written articles on various topics before he came?
- Why had he not read different kinds of books before you came?
- When had they not played football in that field before it started to rain?
- How had she not gone to the coffee shop before she came home?
More examples of the Past Perfect Tense
- I had been in America for two years before I started a business in India.
- He had never visited Delhi before he took his training session in Delhi.
- I had that office for 2 months before I bought this new office.
- When I reached there, the train had already left.
- The patient had died before the doctor came.
- We had cooked food before the telephone rang.
- The thief had run away before the police came.
Examples of Questions and Answers
- Question: Had you had breakfast before you went?
- Answer: Yes, I had had breakfast before I went.
- Question: Had you finished your work before you went to school?
- Answer: Yes, I had finished my work before I went to school.
- Question: Had you had milk before you slept?
- Answer: Yes, I had had milk before I slept.
- Question: Had you taken your medicine before you went to bed?
- Answer: No, I had not taken my medicine before I went to bed.
- Question: Had you read that story before you slept?
- Answer: Yes, I had read that interesting story before I slept.
- Question: Had you not had anything before the party started?
- Answer: Yes, I had not had anything before the party started.
- Question: Had you sought permission to meet the patient before you entered the room?
- Answer: Yes, I had sought permission to meet the patient before entering the room.
- Question: Had the bell rung before you reached the school?
- Answer: Yes, the bell had rung before I reached the school.
- Question: Had he left his house before I came?
- Answer: Yes, he had left his house before you came.
- Question: Had they gone to school before she arrived?
- Answer: Yes, they had gone to school before she arrived.
- Question: Had you taken medicine before the doctor came?
- Answer: Yes, I had taken medicine before the doctor came.
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