The past perfect and the past perfect continuous

EXERCISE № 254. State if the form stands for the Past Perfect / the Past Perfect Continuous (Exclusive or Inclusive).

1. For a few seconds she just sat there, trying to absorb what Sandy had said to her.	Past Perfect Exclusive
2. She thought she had given up the idea of romantic love a long time ago.	Past Perfect Exclusive
3. And so she thought about how she would have to deal with this by herself, and how she had always dealt with everything by herself and got through it.	Past Perfect Inclusive
4. Paparazzi were standing behind a velvet rope. Of course, she'd been seeing them for years, and had purchased photographs from most of them.	Past Perfect Continuous Inclusive; Past Perfect Inclusive
5. She had known Lyne Bennett for year, and every time she saw him, she sensed that he had been the kind of kid who would kick a dog when no one was looking.	Past Perfect Inclusive; Past Perfect Exclusive
6. And he did call at seven-thirty Saturday. By then, she had almost completely forgotten about him.	Past Perfect Exclusive
7. Before that day I'd heard about the Internet, read about the Internet, talked about the Internet, but I'd never really understood what it was all about.	Past Perfect Exclusive
8. Ben was aware that passing shoppers had stopped to see what was going on, were looking at him in a way, he realized, that meant they too had recognized him.	Past Perfect Exclusive
9. This is the guy I have been chatting to on the Internet. - I didn't know you had been chatting to anyone on the Internet.	Past Perfect Continuous Inclusive
10. He felt tired. He had been walking for a long time.	Past Perfect Continuous Exclusive

EXERCISE № 255. Ask what people had done before.

Model: He came to Moscow a year ago. -Where had he lived before?

1. Last year he studied at the grad school.	Where had he studied before?
2. Two years ago he wrote a historic novel.	What had he written before?
3. He started to work here a month ago.	Where had he worked before?
4. Last year he got married to Jenny. It's his second marriage.	Who had he been married to before?
5. Last year I spent my holiday at the seaside for the first time.	Where had you spent your holiday before?
6. Last month I paid too much rent.	How much had you paid before?

EXERCISE № 256. Say what you or other people had already done by a stated time in the past.

Model: I had watered all the flowers by 5 o’clock in the afternoon./The age 15 is very interesting! By the time Victor and Nina were 15, they had done quite different things. Victor had worked in his father’s office and had visited ten different countries, and Nina had won several prizes for swimming ...

1. What had you done by 7 p.m. yesterday?

2. What had you done by 9 a.m. yesterday?

3. What had Pushkin done by the time he was 35?

4. What had your brother/sister done by the time he/she was 10?

5. What had Michael Jackson done by the time he was 18?

EXERCISE № 257. It was Helen’s birthday yesterday and she gave a great party for her friends. What had she done before the day of the party?

• prepare the food

• put up the decorations

• bake a cake

• clean the house

• send out the invitations

• borrow some CDs

• choose a date for the party

• prepare a menu

• remove large pieces of furniture from the room

• plan some games

• set the number of guests

• find the camera

EXERCISE № 258. Tom and Alison went on holiday last weekend. What had they done before the plane took off?

• buy tickets

• lock the house

• leave their car at the garage

• book a hotel room

• set the burglar alarm

• feed the cat

• pack the suitcase

• choose the place to go

• buy a package tour

• charge the camera

EXERCISE № 259. Linda is married to Jack. They have a baby. Last weekend Linda had to go away on business, so Jack was at home. Linda asked him to do some things. Look at the list and say what Jack had or hadn’t done by the time Linda returned home.

• feed the baby (+)

• do the shopping (+)

• make the beds (-)

• take the rubbish out (+)

• wash up (-)

• pay the phone bills (+)

• put the baby’s toys away (-)

• water the plants (-)

• do the ironing (+)

EXERCISE № 260. In pairs, imagine you saw your partner doing something interesting yesterday. Take turns to ask and answer questions to find out more.

Model: I saw you yesterday afternoon. Why were you staggering? – I was staggering because I had just walked into a lamp post and had concussion.

• crying

• being arrested

• covered in paint

• wearing a wet suit

• laughing

• running after a mule

• sleeping on a bench

• climbing a tree

EXERCISE № 261. Ask and answer questions as in the models. Use the prompts to make questions.

Model №1	When was the last time you learned a poem by heart? – The last time I learned a poem by heart was two weeks ago When was the last time you learned a poem by heart? – I last learned a poem by heart two weeks ago.
Model №2	When did you last learn a poem by heart? – Two weeks ago.
Model №3	How long is it since you learned a poem by heart? –It’s two weeks since I last learned a poem by heart.
Model №4	How long ago did you learn a poem by heart? – Two weeks ago.

invite friends	dance to music
go shopping	laugh
dine out	read glossy magazines
swim in the sea	give presents
walk barefoot	ride a bike
shake hands with a woman	watch a film in English
hug smb	use your Facebook account
tell a lie	use your iPad
go to the cinema	eat spaghetti
cry over trifle things	make an appointment with your dentist

EXERCISE № 262. Finish the sentences with a clause containing a verb in the Past Perfect Simple.

1. On my way home I remembered that … 2. To his horror he discovered that … 3. Before it began to rain … 4. By the time I came … 5. He told me that …

EXERCISE № 263. Connect the sentences with the conjunction because.

Model: The children painted the cat. She punished them. - She punished the children because they had painted the cat.

1. She entered the University. Her father bought her a trip abroad. 2. He lived in Italy for two years. He could speak good Italian. 3. The children wrote the test. They could leave. 4. The cat slept on the armchair. There were hairs on it. 5. He didn't invite me. I didn't come. 6. I lost my watch. I bought a new one. 7. Dad caught a big fish. Mum cooked fish soup for dinner. 8. They didn't water the cucumbers. They were bitter. 9. They quarreled. They didn't speak to each other.

EXERCISE № 264. Connect the sentences with the conjunction because.

Model: She cried and her eyes got swollen. - Her eyes were swollen because she had been crying.

1. They worked in the garden and got tired. 2. He ate much chocolate and got a toothache. 3. She painted the ceiling and her clothes got stained. 4. He waited for a long time and got impatient. 5. She watched much TV and her eyes started to ache. 6. He sat in the sun all day and his arms got sunburnt. 7. They played football and their clothes got muddy.

EXERCISE № 265. Think of something you had wanted to do at a particular time in the past. Why didn’t you do it?

Model: I had wanted to take my English exam last May, but I wasn’t ready.

EXERCISE № 266. Write two explanations for each situation, one in the Past Perfect Simple, the other in the Past Perfect Continuous.

Model: Sharon put on five pounds. She had been eating too many sweets. She had dropped her keep-fit classes.

• Steve was feeling down.

• Jack's shirt was torn.

• Ann failed her final exam.

• Emily and Tessa were very excited.

• There was water all over the floor.

EXERCISE № 267. Read the sentences and make up more sentences according to the pattern.

Model: I had hardly straightened my tie when Mrs Thompson came in with the coffee.

Hardly had I straightened my tie when Mrs Thompson came in with the coffee.

• enter the University / get expelled from the University;

• write a test / write another test;

• buy a new dress / want another one;

• enter the room / the phone ring;

• leave home / call his wife;

• start playing the waltz / the audience applaud

EXERCISE № 268. Read the sentences with hardly…when, then make them sound more English, changing the construction according to the model. Pay attention to a little difference in meaning between the constructions.

Model: Hardly had he opened the door, when he heard a cry. – Once he had opened the door, he heard a cry.

1. Hardly had Pandora finished her third glass of champagne, when she said in a low, steady voice, “Before I get to these awful rows your father and I have been having, I must tell you a story, Larry darling. All right?”

2. Hardly had they ordered lunch, when Larry stared at his mother and said, “Well, you did promise to explain all about the rows with Dad. So go on.”

3. Hardly had he finished the meeting with their lawyers and the insurance people, when he hurried to his apartment on Avenue Montaigne, quickly changed into more casual clothes, and gave his driver the address of their destination.

4. Hardly had he found some place to live, when he sent her his new address.

5. Hardly had he made a few sips, when she added him more tea.

6. Hardly had he heard Sweetheart coming down the stairs, her high heels ringing on the stone steps, when he threw the stolen food away in panic.

7. Hardly had he turned the corner, when he took the coat off and slipped it over his arm.

8. Hardly had she recovered full consciousness, when it became clear that she had entirely lost the power of speech.

9. Hardly had she left, when I reached into my apron pocket for my packet of cigarettes.

10. Hardly had she thought he was coming in her direction, when her heart began to pump with excitement.

11. Hardly had she turned the corner, when she jumped off her bike and pushed it through the maze of potholes that pitted the drive as it meandered the half mile to the main gates.

12. Hardly had she tried it on, when her spirits sank once more to unprecedented depths. For the dress was quite impossible. Or worse not quite impossible, but just about, just gently verging upon the impossible. It was not so ridiculously bizarre that it was unwearable but it was bad enough.

EXERCISE № 269. Read the situations and make up sentences with the Past Perfect Continuous.

Model: We played football yesterday. Half an hour after we began playing, it started to rain. – We had been playing for half an hour when it began to rain.

1. I had arranged to meet Tom in a café. I arrived and waited for him. After 15 minutes I suddenly realized that I was in the wrong café.

2. Alison got a job in a factory. Five years later the factory closed down.

3. My sister went to a concert last week. The orchestra began playing. After about 10 minutes a man in the audience began snoring.

4. We began playing tennis. After half an hour there was a terrible storm.

5. Mr Mayle went to live in the south of France. Four months later Mr Mayle bought a car.

6. The child was playing in the yard. Thirty minutes later his mother called him home.

7. Mrs Lightman decided to save for buying a new house. Three years later she bought the house she wanted.

8. I took up Spanish one day. Seven years later I decided to carry on with it at university.

9. She moved to Berlin. Three years later the war broke out.

10. I opened the book and began reading it. Half an hour later you phoned me.

11. She learned the Highway Code rules and then took a driving test.

EXERCISE № 270. Read the situations and make up sentences with the Past Perfect Continuous.

Model: Sarah’s eyes were red. (cry) – She had been crying.

1. Ted was watching TV. He felt tired. (work hard)

2. When I entered the room I saw nobody there. But there was an awful smell in the room. (smoke)

3. Sophie’s overalls were in paint. (paint the walls)

4. She was wet. (walk in the rain)

5. They were tired. (discuss business problems)

6. The boys had black eyes and torn clothes. (fight)

7. The two boys went into the house. They had a football and were both very tired. (play football)

8. When Diana got home, her husband was sitting in front of the computer. He had just turned it off. (play computer games)

9. Arnold’s clothes were dirty. (change the tyres on his car)

10. There was a strong smell of nail polish in the room. (paint nails)

EXERCISE № 271. Read the sentence and make up more sentences according to the pattern.

Model: They had been living in that town for about three years when their son came back to the country.

• talk on the phone for ... / get disconnected;

• walk in the forest for .../ find a lake;

• live in the village for … / smb. arrive;

• drive for … / smth. go wrong with the brakes;

• shop for … / buy a hat.

EXERCISE № 272. Put the verbs in brackets in the Past Perfect Simple or the Past Perfect Continuous.

1. We couldn't open the door because it ___ (snow) heavily all night.

2. She looked shocked and she said she ___ (see) a UFO.

3. Billy had a black eye and Joe's lip was cut – they ___ (fight).

4. John decided to complain as his neighbours ___ (have) parties every day for two weeks.

5. Jill looked great – she ___ (lose) a few pounds and ___ (put on) a smart evening dress.

6. Sheila's eyes were red and swollen as if she ___ (cry) all night.

EXERCISE № 273. Use the Present Perfect (Continuous) or the Past Perfect (Continuous).

1. I received a letter from Susan a few days ago. I (not receive) letters from her since she had left. 2. There are a lot of dirty dishes. We (not wash up) since morning. 3. I telephoned her after I (make up) my mind to accept her offer. 4. He gave up smoking after he (smoke) for 20 years. 5. How long you (be engaged) before you got married? 6. We (be) here since 10 o'clock. 7. At last he finished his book. He (write) it for ten years. 8. How long you (wait) when the bus finally came? 9. I came a minute late. The train (leave) 10. We (finish) our test by that time. 11. You (finish) your work? 12. I didn't want to see the film because I (see) it in the cinema. 13) We (wait) for an hour when they finally came. 14) Since what time he (sleep)? 15) By the time the police came the robbers (manage) to escape.

EXERCISE № 274. Translate from Russian into English.

Он купил новую машину, так как разбил старую.	He bought a new car as he had broken his old one.
Я сделал домашнюю работу к 5 часам, но к этому времени он уже ушел.	I had done the homework by 5 o'clock but he had already left by that time.
Он работал усердно, и его руки болели.	He had been working hard and his arms hurt.
Я ждал его уже три часа, когда он пришел.	I had been waiting for him for three hours when he came.
Девочке очень нравились ее новые часы. Ей давно хотелось иметь часы.	The girl was delighted with her new watch. She had been wanting one for a long time.
Она жила в Берлине уже три года, когда началась война.	She had been living in Berlin for three years when the war broke out.
Я чувствовал себя очень усталым, потому что играл в футбол.	I felt very tired because I had been playing football.
Он работал усердно, и книга была закончена.	He had worked hard and the book was finished.
Он пошел в армию после того, как закончил школу.	He joined the army after he had left school.
У Аманды руки были в муке. Она стряпала пирог.	Amanda had flour on her hands. She had been making a cake.
Когда мы вернулись, приходящая нянечка пошла домой.	When we got back, the babysitter went home.
Когда мы вернулись, приходящая нянечка уже ушла домой.	When we got back, the babysitter had already gone home.
По запаху в комнате я понял, что мама варила варенье (the smell in the room…).	The smell in the room told me that mum had been making jam.
Он не прочел и полкниги, как заявил, что она ему не нравится.	He had hardly read half the book, when he said that he didn’t like it.
Не успел он подойти к двери, как зазвонил телефон.	Hardly had he come up to the door, when the telephone rang.