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Ask them:
Which things happened first? Had those terrible things happened before or after
arriving?
Draw a diagram to make the situation clearer:
Sentence completion
Another way to help your students use the past perfect is by asking them to
complete sentences like the following:
1. She was late for work because she.. (miss the bus)
2. They talked about the film they.. (see) .
Had she been able to join them, she wouldnt have stayed at home.
Regrets
Expressing regret is another use of the past perfect tense. Write this example on the
borad:
I didnt pass the exam. I wish I had worked harder.
Then ask them to give examples. You can help with prompts like the following:
1. Start smoking. I wish.
2. Break with a friend. I wish.
3. Move to another town. I wish.
Whats the difference?
Contrasting tenses can be very effective to enhance the use of the past perfect. For
example ask students to discuss the difference between these two sentences:
A. When I arrived they had had dinner.
B. When I arrived they were having dinner.
C. When I arrived they had dinner.
Personalization
After formal practice of the past perfect, you can proceed by personalizing the use of
the tense
What had happened?
What had happened when you arrived home yesterday?
What had you done before you came to school?
Where had you studied before you joined this school?
Great Links for online activities
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pooQp1sjqYc
http://www.teach-this.com/resources/grammar/past-perfect
http://busyteacher.org/10753-3-perfect-ways-introduce-past-perfect-tense.html
http://www.esl-lab.com/grammarquizzes.htm