The past perfect tense is most often used for the following: - For actions that happened before a past event - In report...
The past perfect tense is most
often used for the following:
How to form the past perfect:
We use the auxiliary had + past participle
I hadn't known the bad news when I talked to him.
For actions that happened before a past event.
When we want to talk about an
action that happened before a past event. It looks back from a point in the past to further in the past. we often use the past perfect. Look at
these examples:
- When I got home yesterday, my father had already cooked dinner.
- I didn't want to go to the movies with my friends because I had
seen the film already.
- My friend offered me an apple in class yesterday, but I wasn't hungry
because I had just eaten lunch.
- I arrived very late at the party. All my friends had already gone home.
- I was very tired as I hadn't slept well for several days.
- Had you seen the film before?
- As soon as she had done her homework, she went t
Notice how often
words like already, just, never, when, before and the expressions by the time, as soon as, etc.
are used with the past perfect.
In reported speech
The past perfect
is common when we report people's words or thoughts .., as in the following
examples:
- John said that he had never eaten sushi
before.
- She told me that she had finished, but I knew she had
not.
- She wondered why he had been so unkind to her.
- He told me he hadn't done his homework, but he was hoping to finish it on the bus.
In if -conditional sentences
The past perfect
tense is used in unreal or hypothetical stituations, as in the following
sentences:
- If I had known you were in Frankfurt, I would have
called you. (but I didn't know you were here so I didn't call you!)
- If I had had enough money, I would have bought you a
better present. (but I didn't have enough money.)
- I would have been very angy if you had laughed when I
got the answer wrong. (but
you didn't laugh, so I wasn't angry.)
- She wouldn't have been able to finish, if you hadn't helped her.
(but you did help her and she did finish.)
- I wish I had studied for my exams. (but I didn't
study - and I got bad grades!)
- I would have been in big trouble if you hadn't helped me.
(but you did help me so I stayed out of trouble.)