The document describes the past perfect tense in English. The past perfect uses the helping verb "had" plus the past participle of the main verb to describe actions that were completed before something else in the past. It provides examples of affirmative, negative, and question forms of the past perfect. The document also contrasts the past perfect and simple past tenses, explaining that the past perfect is used to describe what had occurred before a certain time in the past, while the simple past refers to actions that simply took place in the past. It includes practice exercises for readers to choose whether to use the past perfect or simple past form.

1. THE PAST PERFECT
TENSE

2. STRUCTURE
HAD + PAST PARTICIPLEHAD + PAST PARTICIPLE
Examples:
 I had been (I'd been)
 You had gone (you'd gone)
 She had met (she'd met)
 He had played (he'd played)
 It had rained (it'd rained)
 We had bought (we'd bought)
 They had studied (they'd studied)

3. FOR THE NEGATIVE JUST ADD 'NOT':
 I had not been (I hadn't been)
 You had not gone (you hadn't gone)
 She had not met (she hadn't met)
 He had not played (he hadn't played)
 It had not rained (it hadn't rained)
 We had not bought (we hadn't bought)
 They had not studied (they hadn't studied)

4. TO MAKE A 'YES / NO' QUESTION PUT 'HAD'
BEFORE THE SUBJECT:
 Had I come?
 Had you eaten?
 Had she gone?
 Had it rained?
 Had he studied?
 Had we met?
 Had they left?

5. LET´S PRACTICE:LET´S PRACTICE:
 When I arrived at the cinema, the film
_________________ (start).
 She ____________________ (live) in China before she
went to Thailand.
 After they ____________________ (eat) the shellfish, they
began to feel sick.
 The grass was yellow because it ___________________
(not / rain) all summer.
 The lights went off because we ___________________
(not / pay) the electricity bill.
 The children ___________________ (not / do) their
homework, so they were in trouble.
Had started
Had lived
Had eaten
Hadn´t rained
Hadn´t paid
Hadn´t done

6.  If you ____________________ (listen) to me, you would
have got the job.
 Julie didn’t arrive until after I __________________
(leave).
 They ___________________ (not / eat) so we went to a
restaurant.
 We couldn’t go into the concert because we
___________________ (not / bring) our tickets.
Had listened
Had left
Hadn´t eaten
Hadn´t brought

7.  When we ____________________ (finish) dinner, we
went out.
 The garden was dead because it __________________
(be) dry all summer.
 She said that she ___________________ (not / visit) the
UK before.
 Julie and Anne ___________________ (not / meet)
before the party.
Had finished
Had been
Hadn´t visited
Hadn´t met

8. SIMPLE PAST VS PAST PERFECT
 We use Simple Past if we want to tell what
happened some time in the past.
 We use Past Perfect if we want to tell what had
happened before/up to a certain time in the past

13. CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
(SIMPLE PAST OR PAST PERFECT).
 The wind __________ (blow) away the leaves that we
______________ (collect) .
 She __________ (throw) away the letter that she
__________ (write) .
 They __________ (show) me the pictures, they
__________ (take) during their holidays.
 In the evening, the children __________ (tell) their
daddy what they __________ (see) at the zoo.
 The boy __________ (be) very sorry for what he
__________ (do).
What happened first with Past Perfect. What happened second with Simple Past.
Blew
Had collected
Threw
Had written
Showed
Had taken
told
Had seen
was
Had done

14. CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
(SIMPLE PAST OR PAST
PERFECT).
 My friend __________(eat) up all the biscuit we
__________ (bake) .
 The teacher __________ (correct) the tests we
____________ (write) .
 I __________ (give) them some of the candies I
__________ (buy) .
 My sister __________ (see / not) the note that I
__________ (lay) on the kitchen table for her.
 We __________ (want) to watch a film that we
__________ (see / not) before.
What happened first with Past Perfect. What happened second with Simple Past.
ate
Had baked
Corrected
Had written
gave
Had bought
Didn´t see
Had laid
Wanted
Hadn´t seen