Past perfect tense in English
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This chapter will discuss past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to indicate that an action in the past occurred before another action also in the past.
The past perfect is formed with the past simple of the auxiliary verb 'to have' and the past participle:
to have + past participle
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The past participle of regular verbs is formed by adding '-ed' to the infinitive of the verb.
The past participle of irregular verbs have different endings. Here are some examples:
How the past perfect tense is formed, depends on whether the sentence is:
Structure: Subject + auxiliary verb 'to have' in past (had) + past participle + rest of sentence
Subject | Past form of 'to have' |
---|---|
I | had |
You | had |
He / she / it | had |
We | had |
You | had |
They | had |
Structure: Subject + negative form of auxiliary verb 'to have' in the past (had not) + past participle + rest of sentence
Subject | Negative form of 'to have' in past |
---|---|
I | had not |
You | had not |
He / she / it | had not |
We | had not |
You | had not |
They | had not |
Structure: Auxiliary verb 'to have' in past (had) + subject + past participle + rest of sentence + question mark
The past perfect tense in English is used to make clear that one event occurred before the other event in the past. A past perfect sentence usually consists of 2 actions that are described, one of which is in the past simple tense.
Use | Example |
---|---|
For actions in the past that occured before another action also in the past. |
|
Duration before something in the past. |
|
Actions that have started in the past and continued to a specific point in the past. |
|
Train your skills by doing the exercises below!
Complete the sentence by filling in the past perfect tense in English.
Remember:
you the teacher's email? (to see)
She not the latest chapter for homework. (to read)
They for the sushi to arrive. (to wait)
we all the food from yesterday? (to eat)
He to the teacher about his grade. (to talk)
I to the song a couple of times. (to listen)
It a lot last night before I got home. (to snow)
She a letter from her best friends. (to receive)
She her jacket to her. (to give)
We home together. (to walk)
Complete the sentence by filling in the past perfect tense in English.
Remember:
He the whole night. (to sleep)
They a mistake with the order. (to make)
I the food a long time ago. (to order)
She just in when everyone was sitting in the dining room. (to come)
The dog in the park. (to run)
We not dinner together with their parents. (to have)
They her findings to the group. (to present)
you basketball before? (to play)
Veronica and Betty the scene. (to act)
Adele an amazing song. (to sing)
Complete the sentence by filling in the past perfect tense in English.
Remember:
I to do my homework, but I got distracted. (to try)
They every movie on Netflix. (to watch)
You at a supermarket, before you started working here. (to work)
Mike that car for a long time, before it got stolen. (to have)
We lunch before we left home. (to eat)
She her assignment in time. (to finish)
you my grandmother before? (to meet)
They together in Amsterdam for two years. (to live)
you ever to Valencia before? (to be)
He not the laundry when she got home. (to do)
Complete the sentence by filling in the past perfect tense in English.
Remember:
He home after the party. (to go)
She her boss about the upcoming event. (to email)
Sarah to the party before Tom. (to arrive)
I during the movie. (to cry)
Somebody my bike when I got home. (to steal)
We the house, before my mother came in. (to leave)
They to Barcelona in four hours. (to drive)
she houses before? (to move)
We the train to work, when it started to rain. (to take)
Sanna never before she went to China. (to fly)
Complete the sentence by filling in the past perfect tense in English.
Remember:
you the teacher's email? (to see)
She not the latest chapter for homework. (to read)
They for the sushi to arrive. (to wait)
we all the food from yesterday? (to eat)
He to the teacher about his grade. (to talk)
I to the song a couple of times. (to listen)
It a lot last night before I got home. (to snow)
She a letter from her best friends. (to receive)
She her jacket to her. (to give)
We home together. (to walk)
Complete the sentence by filling in the past perfect tense in English.
Remember:
He the whole night. (to sleep)
They a mistake with the order. (to make)
I the food a long time ago. (to order)
She just in when everyone was sitting in the dining room. (to come)
The dog in the park. (to run)
We not dinner together with their parents. (to have)
They her findings to the group. (to present)
you basketball before? (to play)
Veronica and Betty the scene. (to act)
Adele an amazing song. (to sing)
Complete the sentence by filling in the past perfect tense in English.
Remember:
I to do my homework, but I got distracted. (to try)
They every movie on Netflix. (to watch)
You at a supermarket, before you started working here. (to work)
Mike that car for a long time, before it got stolen. (to have)
We lunch before we left home. (to eat)
She her assignment in time. (to finish)
you my grandmother before? (to meet)
They together in Amsterdam for two years. (to live)
you ever to Valencia before? (to be)
He not the laundry when she got home. (to do)
Complete the sentence by filling in the past perfect tense in English.
Remember:
He home after the party. (to go)
She her boss about the upcoming event. (to email)
Sarah to the party before Tom. (to arrive)
I during the movie. (to cry)
Somebody my bike when I got home. (to steal)
We the house, before my mother came in. (to leave)
They to Barcelona in four hours. (to drive)
she houses before? (to move)
We the train to work, when it started to rain. (to take)
Sanna never before she went to China. (to fly)
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she is a professional mother language teacher. She is strongly problem solving oriented. She offers a wide range of tools to learn the language. She has a nice way of teaching.
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I am very good with beginners and intermediate students. I help with pronunciation, learning new vocabulary and grammar. I always offer corrections and offer endless speaking opportunities.
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Me as a Teacher
I am a qualified teacher with a BSc in Applied Psychology. I have been teaching English for 15 years and have worked with all ages and abilities. My lessons are very communicative and with a strong focus on speaking. I really enjoy getting to know my students and I try to incorporate their hobbies and interests into our lessons.
For the majority of my teaching career I have worked with teenagers and young adults. I have taught hundreds of young people and have found that they enjoy and respond well to my relaxed teaching approach. I am particularly well-suited to helping young people progress and have confidence in their ability.
My Lessons & Teaching Style
My teaching style is open and friendly. I encourage students to speak as much as possible and guide them through their use of English. All of my lessons are tailor-made according to the needs of my students. Whether it is conversation practice, grammar study or exam preparation (specifically KET/PET/FCE), I can help.
Each of my lessons is designed with clear learning objectives and I use a variety of learning methods/materials to make my lessons interesting and to reinforce what we have covered.
I believe learning should be fun and rewarding and students should be able to feel their own personal progress after each lesson. I genuinely care about the development every one of my students.
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Laura has over 15 years of teaching experience. She can teach you more than only the language, but also the culture that comes along with it. She adjusts all her classes to your needs! Furthermore, she offers a wide variety of interactive learning materials like for example videos, songs or grammar exercises. She is eager to help you study, and you will surely learn a lot from her!
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This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hello! I am a CELTA-qualified native English teacher offering lessons carefully tailored to your needs. Learn by dynamic conversation exchange, written pieces, songs lyrics, podcasts, and fun and challenging exercises.
I have a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and have been rock climbing for about 25 years. As an Italian language learner myself, I believe that talking about your passions is one of the most effective ways of mastering a new language. I look forward to hearing about your interests!
I offer a free 15-minute meeting to discuss your personal goals for learning. Let’s work together to bring you closer to those English language goals!
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she is a professional mother language teacher. She is strongly problem solving oriented. She offers a wide range of tools to learn the language. She has a nice way of teaching.
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I am very good with beginners and intermediate students. I help with pronunciation, learning new vocabulary and grammar. I always offer corrections and offer endless speaking opportunities.
I enjoy teaching and more than anything I enjoy teaching English, but as much as I teach I am always looking for an opportunity to learn. I allow myself to learn something from my students as many times as they are willing to teach. Together with my students, we create an atmosphere of on-going conversation around our class topic.
I have a Bachelor of English degree, as well as a 120-HOUR TEFL Certificate. I am mostly fluent in English, as it has the language medium throughout my entire life and school career.
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Hi, name is Laura. I come from a small town near Manchester, UK, though I now live in Bulgaria with my husband and two small children. I am an avid reader of fiction and am also particularly interested in current affairs, politics, psychology and education. I teach English full time and thoroughly enjoy my work. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, exploring the Bulgarian countryside, cooking and learning Bulgarian.
Me as a Teacher
I am a qualified teacher with a BSc in Applied Psychology. I have been teaching English for 15 years and have worked with all ages and abilities. My lessons are very communicative and with a strong focus on speaking. I really enjoy getting to know my students and I try to incorporate their hobbies and interests into our lessons.
For the majority of my teaching career I have worked with teenagers and young adults. I have taught hundreds of young people and have found that they enjoy and respond well to my relaxed teaching approach. I am particularly well-suited to helping young people progress and have confidence in their ability.
My Lessons & Teaching Style
My teaching style is open and friendly. I encourage students to speak as much as possible and guide them through their use of English. All of my lessons are tailor-made according to the needs of my students. Whether it is conversation practice, grammar study or exam preparation (specifically KET/PET/FCE), I can help.
Each of my lessons is designed with clear learning objectives and I use a variety of learning methods/materials to make my lessons interesting and to reinforce what we have covered.
I believe learning should be fun and rewarding and students should be able to feel their own personal progress after each lesson. I genuinely care about the development every one of my students.
Reviews
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Laura has over 15 years of teaching experience. She can teach you more than only the language, but also the culture that comes along with it. She adjusts all her classes to your needs! Furthermore, she offers a wide variety of interactive learning materials like for example videos, songs or grammar exercises. She is eager to help you study, and you will surely learn a lot from her!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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