WHAT HAPPENED
FIRST?
• When Kevin arrived to school
the class had already started.
• When he turned on the TV, the
program had already started.
• When Paul got home , he
realized he had left the door
open.
• After my son had gone to bed, I
watched a movie.
is used to talk about an
action which happened
before another action in
the past
had + past participle
regular irregular
verb + ed 3rd column
TIME EXPRESSIONS
• By the time – Ex: By the time Doris got to the
party, everyone had gone home.
• After – Ex: I arrived after the teacher had
called the roll.
• Before – Ex: She had seen the movie before
she went to bed.
• When – Ex: I went to bed when I had finished
my homework.
TIME EXPRESSIONS
• Use after, as soon as, until before using the PAST
PERFECT SIMPLE.
Ex: After she had moved out, I found her notes.
I didn’t say anything until she had finished talking.
As soon as I had finished my homework, I went to
bed.
TIME EXPRESSIONS
• Use before, when, by the time before the PAST
SIMPLE:
Ex. Before I knew it, she had run out the door.
By the time he phoned her, she had turned off her
cellphone.
She had left when I got home.
EXERCISES
1. After I ______ (finish) my lunch, I went back
to work.
2. George ________ (repair) his car before he
went fishing.
3. She _______ (tell) me she _________ (buy) a
new car.
4. I _____(buy) a new car because some thieves
__________ (steal) my old one.
EXERCISES
5- After the company _____Joe, he began to work on his
first project. (hire)
6- _____you _______ the news before you saw it on TV?
(hear)
7- Michael didn’t want to see the movie because he
_______ the book yet. (not read)
8-The concert ______ already _______when we _______
the stadium. (begin/ enter)
9- Until Anne ________ Mark, she ____ never ______in
love. (meet, be)
EXERCISES
10- Bill __________ for years before he finally _______.
(smoke/ quit)
11- _______ Sara ever _______to London by herself
before October? (drive)
12- How many fish ______ the boys _____ by the time it
started raining? (catch)
13- You ________ them to go to the beach, hadn’t you?
(forbid)
14- The girls _______ in weeks. That’s why they ______
so much afterwards. (not exercise / hurt)
Circle the correct answers. In
some cases only one is correct,
and in others both are correct.
1. As James was introduced to Mrs. Snape,
he realized that he had met / met her
before.
2. During the previous week, I had been / went
to the gym every evening.
3. He denied that he had taken / took the money
from the office.
4. I didn’t know the marking would take so long
until I had read / read the first couple of essays.
5. The boy told me that he had lost / lost his
train ticket and didn’t know how he would get
home.
6. At the conference, scientists reported that
they had found / found a cure for malaria.
7. The teacher guessed that some of the
children had cheated / cheated in the exam.
8. Thomas explained that he had gone / went
home early because he felt ill.
9. The waiter took my plate away before I had
finished / finished eating.
10. Jane didn’t want any dinner. She had eaten /
ate already.
