ENGLISH GRAMMAR
PAST PERFECT TENSE
Simple and Continuous Forms
(example : to do)
The past perfect tense of verbs, simple and continuous, are formed as follows:
| PAST PERFECT SIMPLE | |||
| AFFIRMATIVE | NEGATIVE | INTERROGATIVE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Form | Contracted Form | ||
| I had done | I had not done | I hadn't done | Had I done? |
| You had done | You had not done | You hadn't done | Had you done? |
| He/she/it had done | He/she/it had not done | He/she/it hadn't done | Had he/she/it done? |
| We had done | We had not done | We hadn't done | Had we done ? |
| You had done | You had not done | You hadn't done | Had you done? |
| They had done | They had not done | They hadn't done | Had they done? |
| PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |||
| AFFIRMATIVE | NEGATIVE | INTERROGATIVE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Form | Contracted Form | ||
| I had been doing | I had not been doing | I hadn't been doing | Had I been doing? |
| You had been doing | You had not been doing | You hadn't been doing | Had you been doing? |
| He/she/it had been doing | He/she/it had not been doing | He/she/it hadn't been doing | Had he/she/it been doing? |
| We had been doing | We had not been doing | We hadn't been doing | Had we been doing ? |
| You had been doing | You had not been doing | You hadn't been doing | Had you been doing? |
| They had been doing | They had not been doing | They hadn't been doing | Had they been doing? |
- The past perfect simple
is used to refer to finished actions or completed
events which took place before a specific time in
the past.
- Yesterday, between 4pm and 6pm, Paul played a game of tennis with Tom.
His mother arrived at 6 pm. The game was over.
When his mother arrived, Paul had finished the game. - When Tom got to the station the train had already left.
- The boy was cold because he had forgotten
his jacket.
- Laura had visited Tokyo several times before she went to work there.
- Yesterday, between 4pm and 6pm, Paul played a game of tennis with Tom.
- The past perfect continuous
is used to refer to a past continuous
action, an action that was in progress
up to a
particular time in the past.
- Before his mother arrived, Paul had been
playing tennis with Tom.
- I had been searching for a long time
before I found the book under the sofa.
- Eva was tired at lunch-time because she
had been cleaning the house all morning.
- Bill had been working in the company for 6 months before he met the boss.
- Before his mother arrived, Paul had been
playing tennis with Tom.