Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookTime Travel with Tenses: The Past Perfect
The past perfect is an essential tense for telling stories and explaining the order of past events clearly. Let's master this "past before the past."
The Structure
The past perfect is formed using a simple and consistent structure. It never changes, no matter the subject.
Subject + had + Past Participle
(+) Positive: I had finished my work.
(-) Negative: She had not (hadn't) eaten breakfast.
(?) Question:Had they left already?
When to Use the Past Perfect
The main reason to use the past perfect is to show the order of two (or more) actions in the past. The past perfect describes the action that happened first.
Timeline of Events
PAST EVENT #1
(Past Perfect)
PAST EVENT #2
(Simple Past)
NOW
(Present)
When I arrived (Event #2), the meeting had already started (Event #1).
First, the meeting started. Second, I arrived. To show this order, we use the past perfect for the first event.
Key Signal Words
Certain words and phrases often signal the use of the past perfect tense because they deal with the order of events. Look out for these:
Let's Practice!
Complete the sentences with the correct past perfect form of the verb in parentheses.
1. By the time I arrived at the cinema, the film already (start)
2. She never (eat)
3. He failed the exam because he not (study)
4. After they the house, they went for a long walk. (clean)
5. I didn't recognize her because she her hair color. (change)