THE PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

FORM OF THE PAST PERFECT SIMPLE:

Subject + had + past participle of the verb

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I had worked	I had not worked	Had you worked?
He had worked	He had not worked	Had he worked?
They had worked	They had not worked	Had they worked?

USE OF THE PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

We use the past perfect tense to show an action that was completed before another action that took place in the past. (Both actions in the past: one comes first and one comes second).

Example:

I had done all my assignments then I went to school.

Exercise:

Put the verbs between brackets in the correct form:

• When I arrived at the cinema, the film (start / already)

…………………………………………………………………………………………

• They (live) in France before they moved to Switzerland.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

• If Leila (listen) to her mother’s advice, she might have succeeded.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

• The firemen did not arrive until the fire (burn) the forest.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

• The tourists were late for the plane because they (forget) their passports.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form: Subject + had been + verb + ing

Example: she had been living in Casablanca before

USES OF THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The past perfect continuous shows that a long action had started in the past and continued until another action stopped it.

Sometimes the past perfect continuous shows two actions: one is the cause of the other. (Example: he had been working all night. He could not get up early in the morning.)

Exercise:

Put the verbs between the brackets in the correct form: (Past P.S or Past P.C)

1. They (work) all day in the farm, so they (not/want) to go to the weeding.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

2. She (drive) for ten days when we (come) across each other.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Fred (work) at that company for six months before he (be) chased.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

4. It (rain) for ten days non-stop and the flood (cover) all the village.

…………………………………………………………………………………………