The Past Perfect

and
The Past Perfect Progressive

Past Perfect
Use the past perfect when one
action in the past happened
before another action in the
past. Use the first action in the
past perfect and the second
action in the simple past.

Past Perfect
had + past participle
It

is used to talk about actions that

were completed at an unspecified
time before another past action (at
different times).
I had already done my homework
when my mother arrived.

With

before, by the time, until and

when the verb is in the simple past.

With

after the verb is the past perfect

Past Perfect
It is used only when a clear
relationship exists with an
event in simple past time. It

Because the past perfect

means before, it must relate
a past event to another past

EVER, NEVER (experiences before a

specific time in the past)
She had never seen a him before
they met two weeks ago.
That was the worst scene she had
ever seen.
YET (not completed before a specific
time in the past)
When she met her boss, she
hadnt completed the project yet.

STILL (not completed before a specific

time in the past)
She still hadnt repaired her watch,
so she didnt know the time.
ALREADY (completed a long time before
a specific time in the past)
They had already eaten, so they
didnt feel hungry.
JUST (completed a short time before a
specific time in the past)
When the student entered the class,
the teacher had just started talking.

1.

Use because to connect sentences.

1. His car broke down.
He took the bus.
________________________________________

1. He took the bus because his car had

broken down.

Past perfect progressive

It is used to talk about actions that
had
+
been
+
ing
were in progress up to another past
action or time. When I looked out of the
window yesterday, everywhere was
white. It had been snowing for hours.
It

expresses a sense that the action was

ongoing and is often used with for,
since, all day, all night

Past Perfect Progressive

It tells us about the length of
the action and the specific
point when it ended. It occurs

When the race started, it was

raining and the streets were wet.
(the action is emphasized)
When the race started, it had been

Explain the difference in

meaning
A. When the phone rang, I was eating
a sandwich.

Put the verbs in brackets into the

appropriate past forms.
1. Bill _____ (paint) his front door when
the telephone _____ (start) ringing. He
_____ (answer) the phone and _____
(speak) to his friend. Later he _____
(notice) that he _____ (leave) red
fingerprints all over the phone.

Put the verbs in brackets into the

appropriate past forms.
1. Bill was painting his front door when
the telephone started ringing. He
answered the phone and spoke to his
friend. Later he noticed that he had left
red fingerprints all over the phone.

Put the verbs in brackets into the

appropriate past forms.
2. _____ (Tony/ring) you last
night?
Yes. He _____(wait) for days for
you to phone him but since you
_____ (not/phone) he _____ (sell)
his motorbike to someone else.

Put the verbs in brackets into the

appropriate past forms.
2. Did Tony ring you last night?
Yes. He had been waiting for days
for you to phone him but since you
hadnt phoned he had sold his
motorbike to someone else.

THE END!