2.5: Past Perfect
- Page ID
- 273140
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Form of the Past Perfect
The past perfect is used when talking about an action in the past that happened before another action in the past. We often use the past perfect with expressions like 'for' or 'since', to describe the order in which past events happened.
Past perfect: positive and negative
|
I / You She / He / It We / You / They |
'd (had) hadn't |
seen him before. finished work at 5 o'clock. |
Past perfect: question
| Where had |
I /You She / He / It We / You / They |
been before? |
Past perfect: short Answer
| Had he already left? |
Yes, he had. No, he hadn't. |
Past Perfect: Be careful!
The past perfect is always used with one of the past tenses to indicate the sequence of past actions.
Uses of the Past Perfect
1. The Past Perfect is used to make clear that one action in the past happened before another action in the past.
- When I opened the fridge, I noticed that someone had finished the milk for breakfast.
- They entered the room and hardly recognized it as someone had completely changed the furniture!
- She went back home because she'd forgotten her keys.
- When it started raining, she had already got home.
- When we started the car, we realized that we had run out the petrol.-*
2. We use the Past Perfect only when it is strictly necessary to clarify which past action happened first. Otherwise we use the Past Simple.
Notice the use of the Past Perfect and the Past Simple in the following sentences:
- When she got to the party, Tom went home. ( First she arrived, then Tom left)
- When she got to the party, Tom had gone home. (First Tom left, then she arrived)
3. A note about "by the time": When a sentence that refers to past time events includes the phrase "by the time," simple past and past perfect are used in a specific pattern. Notice the use of the Past Perfect and the Past Simple in the following sentences:
- By the time we got to the airport, the flight had already taken off.
- I had already eaten dinner by the time my husband finally got home.
As you can see, when talking about past events, the "by the time" clause contains a verb in simple past, and the main clause contains a verb in past perfect.
| Using Before and After | |
|---|---|
| BEFORE | |
|
Before can (optionally) be used in a sentence with past perfect. Note that there is no difference in meaning when using past or past perfect in these examples. Before expresses "earlier than" and is placed in front of the clause with the later event. |
|
| EARLIER THAN THIS (2ND EVENT) | SHE DID THIS (1ST EVENT) |
|
Before Jill took her friends out to lunch, |
she stopped at an ATM. she had stopped¹ at an ATM. |
| SHE DID THIS (1ST EVENT) | EARLIER THAN THIS (2ND EVENT) |
|
Jill stopped at an ATM. Jill had stopped¹ at an ATM. |
before she took her friends out to lunch, |
| AFTER | |
|---|---|
|
After can (optionally) be used in a sentence with past perfect. After expresses "later than" and is placed in front of the clause with the earlier event—it sets it aside in order to say that the next activity occurred later. Also see the next section for the use of afterwards. Note that there is no difference in meaning when using past or past perfect in these examples. |
|
| LATER THAN THIS (1ST EVENT) | SHE DID THIS (2ND EVENT) |
|
After Jill stopped at an ATM After Jill had stopped¹ at an ATM |
she took her friends out to lunch. |
| SHE DID THIS (2ND EVENT) | LATER THAN THIS (1ST EVENT) |
|
Jill took her friends out to lunch |
after she stopped at an ATM. after she had stopped¹ at an ATM. |
Exercise 1
Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with Simple Past or Past Perfect. If both Simple Past and Past Perfect are possible, write both.
- He __________________before the guards were _______________. (escape/alert)
- The car __________________past and _________________the corner up ahead. (speed/turn)
- When the tournament __________________, a winner was ________________. (end/announce)
- After the crowd __________________, we _________the damage that __________________done. (part/see/be)
- The buses __________________running an hour before, so she _________home in the rain. (stop/walk)
- Since they __________________ their work, they _________early. (finish/left)
- When the rain ________________finally ________________, she took off her coat and ___________________it. (stop/dry)
Exercise 2:
Simple Past or Past Perfect
Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. Two answers may be correct.
1. We ( had to / had had to) go to the pharmacy late last night when my child ( became / had become) sick.
2. The pharmacist ( already left / had already left) for home by the time we ( arrived / had arrived) there.
3. By the time we ( returned / had returned) home, the baby's fever ( already went / had already gone) down.
4. The next time the baby ( had / had had) a fever, we ( were / had been) better prepared.
fever (N) – an illness or a medical condition in which you have a very high temperature
5. Before we ( had / had had) our baby, we ( took / had taken) a baby-care course at the hospital.
6. After our baby ( was / had been) born, we realized how easy our life ( was/ had been) before.
7. Last night, I was thankful that the baby fell asleep early. I ( just fell / had just fallen) asleep when he ( woke up / had woken up) crying.
8. I ( changed / had changed) his diaper and ( gave / had given) him a bottle, then he ( fell / had fallen) asleep peacefully.
9. My father, my mother, my younger sister and I (got into / had gotten into) my father's '54 Ford to go to Cordoba, where my parents (rented / had rented) a house up in the hills.
10. Cordoba is a city that (is / was / had been) famous for its mountains and rivers, and it (is / was / had been) located 900 miles away from Buenos Aires, where we lived.
11. One morning after we (ate / had eaten) breakfast, he (decided / had decided) that it was the perfect time for a family picture with the car, the house, and the scenery—all in one shot.
12. The three of us (started / had started) walking down the hill to look at the car, which (stopped / had stopped) at the bottom of hill.
13. However, when we (reached / had reached) the bottom of the hill, we (were / had been) surprised to see that the car (was / had been) still intact.
14. The two front wheels (were / had been) up on two big rocks as if somebody (placed / had placed) them there on purpose.
15. After Father (put / had put) away his camera, he (said / had said) , "I think I'm just going to enjoy this all with my own eyes for the rest of the trip."
"Before and After" and Exercise 2 from Grammar Quizzes by Julie Sevastopoulos licensed for use under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International. 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Non-Commercial - No-Derivatives 4.0 International License.