- •Past Indefinite Versus Past Perfect
- •Exercises
- •Complete these sentences using the verbs in brackets.
- •II. Complete the sentences as in the example.
- •III. Make up sentences using the words in brackets.
- •As soon as I had booked a ticket I phoned Bill
- •Past Perfect Continuous
- •Exercises:
- •Complete the conversation. Put in the past perfect continuous of the verbs.
- •Add a sentence with the past perfect continuous to explain why.
- •4.A young man was struck by lightning stand/under a tree ____________________________
- •Past simple, continuous and perfect.
- •Put in the correct form of the verbs.
- •Past Tenses
- •Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple or Past Continuous.
- •Put the verbs into Past Perfect or Past Simple.
- •Put the verbs in brackets into Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous.
- •Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense, Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous.
Past Indefinite Versus Past Perfect
Tense |
Formation |
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Past Simple |
Positive Sentences:
I had, you had I was, you were, I liked, you liked |
Questions: Did + I/you+ V? Did you like the film? When did you watch it? |
Negatives: I/you + did not + V I did not like that. I didn’t like that. |
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Frequency adverbs: Yesterday, ago, last…, just now, then, the other day, in 1992 When….? How long ago….? I saw him just now |
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Meaning |
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Yesterday I saw a thriller on TV. I spent all my childhood in Scotland Regularly every summer, Janet fell in love. |
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succession of past actions |
When I woke up, it was already morning. I got up, came up to the window, etc. |
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permanent actions in the past |
I lived in London for 4 years when a child. |
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state verbs |
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Together with a background action |
When the phone rang, we were eating.
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Past Perfect |
Formation |
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Positive Sentences: had + V3/Ved I had translated
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Questions: Had + he/she/ it…+ V3/Ved Had you translated? |
Negatives: I/you/he/she… + had + Ved/V3 I had not translated |
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Frequency adverbs: After, before, as soon as, by …. (in the past), until Had you seen this film before you came to us? |
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Meaning |
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Sue left at 7. We arrived at 8.30. Sue had left her house before we arrived.
I thought I had seen the film before, but I hadn’t. Ellen was sure she hadn’t locked the door. |
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Note: I’d seen, I’d lost, she’d fallen ill ……. = had seen, had lost, had fallen ill
Past Indefinite |
Past Perfect |
It is used to denote succession of actions He quickly opened the door & came in. |
It is used to denote priority He could come in after he had opened the door. |
The verbs “to come, to arrive, to return, to see, to hear” in adverbial clauses of time are generally used in the Past Indefinite & not in the Past Perfect. When he came down he found his mother crying. |
When the completion of actions is emphasized the Past Perfect is used. He learned the poem by heart when he had heard it several times. |
Note: When I switched the TV on, the programme started. I was just in time.
When I switched the TV on, the programme had started. (I missed the beginning).
Past Perfect or past simple can be used with Before and Until:
The man arrived at the store before it had opened/before it opened.
The chairman didn’t speak until he had heard/until he heard all the arguments.
Example: When I came home, everybody had already gone to bed. I felt really tired when I took the train to work yesterday because Sarah and I had been to a party the evening before. By the time I arrived at the stadium, the match had begun. After I had done my homework, I went for a walk. When I had done my homework, I went for a walk. Before I went out, I had turned off the gas.