Past Perfect

I. Read the newspaper stories about how people got money – or lost it – in unusual ways. Find examples of the Past Perfect, translate these sentences.

1. A Swiss man was amazed to see an extra £100,000 in his bank account one day. He started spending the money immediately, organizing expensive parties for his friends and buying things he’d never been able to afford before. When the bank noticed its mistake – the money actually belonged to a much richer man with the same name – he had already spent £85,000. A court ruled that the money wasn’t his, and that he would have to repay the full amount.

2. As he arrived at the restaurant where he planned to give his girlfriend a wonderful surprise, Eric Culbertson checked in his pocket … and realized that he had left the $10,000 engagement ring he had just bought in a taxi! He had saved up for a year to buy the ring. The next day, Culbertson bought another ring for just $25 and asked his girlfriend to marry him. She said yes.

3. A man in Germany had a horrible surprise when he checked his e-mail one morning. Thomas Vogel, aged 22, found that he had bought items worth nearly £1 million from an Internet auction company. Thomas Vogel, who makes his living by gardening and planting trees, says he had never heard of the company before and knew nothing about the £800,000 house, £100,000 car and £25,000 small airplane he had just bought. The Internet company insisted that he paid for the items, however, as the bids were made in his name. “I don’t know what I’m going to do or how I’m going to pay,” he said. “I can’t plant that many trees.”

Now match a headline to each newspaper story (there is one extra headline).

A. Easy come … easy go

B. Why the Internet is bad for you

C. The most generous man in the world

D. Love wins in the end

II. Past time words: choose the correct time words to complete the sentences.

1. Although he had already / before / never spent most of the money, he Swiss man had to pay it all back to the bank.

2. He’d already / before / never had so much money already / before / never, so it was a new experience for him.

3. Eric Culbertson had before / never / just arrived in the restaurant when he realized he’d lost the engagement ring.

4. He ran outside to look for the taxi, but it had already / before / never left.

5. He had already / never / just asked to marry him before, so he was probably a little nervous.

6. Thomas Vogel had already / just / never bought anything over the Internet already / before / just.

7. The e-mail told Mr. Vogel that he had before / just / never bought nearly £1 million worth of items.

8. The Internet company said that they had already / just / never known a mistake like this already / before / just.

III. Read the newspaper article; open the brackets using the given verbs in the Past Perfect.

MAN TAKES REVENGE ON NOISY NEIGHBOURS

When 38-year-old Tim Kent’s neighbours refused to turn their TV down at two o’clock in the morning, he phoned the police.

Half an hour later, the police ___________ (not arrive), so Mr. Kent went to the apartment of pensioners George and Mary Tyler and asked them again to turn the sound down. When the couple (who are both hard of hearing) refused, he burst into the house and put his foot through their TV. By the time the police finally arrived, he _____ also ________ (smash) a CD player, three radios and a second TV.

As Mr. Kent’s wife said later, that ______________ (last) for month. “We know they’re slightly deaf, but they don’t have to watch TV at that time of night.” The Kents ________________ (try) everything, they _____ even __________ (buy) their neighbours two sets of TV headphones, but they didn’t use them.

Mr. Kent spent yesterday being questioned by police.

Answer the questions on the text.

1. What did Tim Kent do after his neighbours had refused to turn their TV down at 2 a.m.?

2. What had happened before the police arrived?

3. How had the Kents tried to prevent what happened afterwards?