www.mawazinepress.com The Past Perfect

I had eaten my I had eaten my breakfast before I breakfast before I

went to schoolwent to school..

I had eatenhad eaten breakfast

before

I went to school .

How do we use the Past Perfect Tense? The past perfectThe past perfect tense expresses action in the

pastpast before another action in the pastpast. This is the past in the pastpast in the past.

EXAMPLE :EXAMPLE : The train left at 9am. We arrived at 9.15am. When

we arrived, the train had left.

The Past PerfectThe Past Perfect

The Titanic had received many warnings before it hit the iceberg.

I had already eaten when my friend stopped by to visit.

had received

had eaten

it hit

my friend stopped by

To talk about a past action that ended before another

action or time in the past, we use before and after. We

use the simple past too.

The film had started before we arrivedThe film had started before we arrived

We also use the past perfect to show the cause of a past

action

I was tired on Monday because I hadn’t slept well the night I was tired on Monday because I hadn’t slept well the night

beforebefore

With time expressions such as when, after, before, as when, after, before, as

soon as, by the time, by soon as, by the time, by and untiluntil

By the time I got home, my mother had already prepared By the time I got home, my mother had already prepared

dinnerdinner

Simple Past Tense

Past Perfect TensePast Perfect Tense

He came to my house.He came to my house.

Chapter 11

I had already left.I had already left.

He came to my house He came to my house afterafter

I I had had already already leftleft..

Simple Past Tense

Past PerfectPast Perfect

Chapter 11

He came to my house He came to my house

afterafter I had already left. I had already left.This action

This action

takes place

takes place

farther back

farther back

in the past

in the past..

Simple Past Tense

Past PerfectPast Perfect

He came to my house.He came to my house.

Chapter 11

I had already left.I had already left.

He came to my house He came to my house afterafter I had already left. I had already left.

Look at this example.

..

After he had taken his music lesson, he made a he made a telephone calltelephone call

What had Ali done before he went

fishing?

Ali had repaired his car before he before he went fishing.went fishing.

The key words of this tense are:after

as soon as , Past simple{had+PP}

The key words of this tense are:before

By the time{past simple}+ Had+PP

Make similar sentences using after and before.

Finish work-watch TV

After I had finished work , I watched TV

Before I watched TV , I had finished my work.

Make similar sentences using by the time and as soon as

Eat breakfast-go to school

By the time I went to school,I had eaten my breakfast. As soon as I had eaten my breakfast, I went to school

Make similar sentences using by the time and as soon as

Police arrive-thief escape

By the time the police arrived, the thief had escaped.As soon as the thief had escaped , the police arrived.

So it is correct to say:After he had finished After he had finished

the meeting , he made the meeting , he made a telephone call.a telephone call.

Before he made a telephone call , he had finished the meeting.

The structure of the past perfect tense is:

  subjecsubjec

ttauxiliary auxiliary verbverb  

main main verbverb  

++IIhadhad  finishedfinishedmy workmy work..

++YouYouhadhad  stoppedstoppedbefore before meme..

--SheShehadhadnotnotgonegoneto schoolto school..

--WeWehadhadnotnotleftleft..  

??HadHadyouyou  arrivedarrived??  

??HadHadtheythey  eateneatendinnerdinner??