Past Perfect

f t g+ p

The past perfect is a verb tense which is used to show that an action took place once or many times before another point in the past. Read on for det
ailed descriptions, examples, and present perfect exercises.

Past Perfect Forms

The past perfect is formed using had + past participle. Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and had. Negatives are made with not.

 Statement: You had studied English before you moved to New York.

 Question: Had you studied English before you moved to New York?

 Negative: You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

Complete List of Past Perfect Forms

Past Perfect Uses

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

The past perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a s
pecific time in the past.

Examples:

 I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.

 I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.

 Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.

 Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?

 She only understood the movie because she had read the book.

 Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.

 We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.

 A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With non-continuous verbs and some non-continuous uses of mixed verbs, we use the past perfect to show that something started in the past and co
ntinued up until another action in the past.

Examples:

 We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.

 By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.

 They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.

Although the above use of past perfect is normally limited to non-continuous verbs and non-continuous uses of mixed verbs, the words "live," "wor
k," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT non-continuous verbs.

IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

Unlike with the present perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the past perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not nec
essary.

Example:

 She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

MOREOVER
If the past perfect action did occur at a specific time, the simple past can be used instead of the past perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the se
ntence. The words "before" and "after" actually tell you what happens first, so the past perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are c
orrect.

Examples:

 She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

 She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

HOWEVER

If the past perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, past perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here past perfect is referri
ng to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, simple past cannot be used.

Examples:

 She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct

 She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.

 Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

 George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. Active

 Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license. Passive

Simple Past
f t g+ p

The simple past (also called past simple, past indefinite or preterite) is a verb tense which is used to show that a completed action took place at a spe
cific time in the past. The simple past is also frequently used to talk about past habits and generalizations. Read on for detailed descriptions, example
s, and simple past exercises.

Simple Past Forms

The simple past is formed using the verb + ed. In addition, there are many verbs with irregular past forms. Questions are made with did and negative
forms are made with did not.

 Statement: You called Debbie.

 Question: Did you call Debbie?

 Negative: You did not call Debbie.

Complete List of Simple Past Forms

Simple Past Uses

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the simple past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually me
ntion the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

 I saw a movie yesterday.

 I didn't see a play yesterday.

 Last year, I traveled to Japan.

 Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.

  Did you have dinner last night?

 She washed her car.

 He didn't wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the simple past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

 I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

 He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.

 Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in the Past

The simple past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: f
or two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

 I lived in Brazil for two years.

 Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

 They sat at the beach all day.

 They did not stay at the party the entire time.

 We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

 A: How long did you wait for them?

B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The simple past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we
are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

 I studied French when I was a child.

 He played the violin.

 He didn't play the piano.

 Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?

 She worked at the movie theater after school.

 They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The simple past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the simple past is
quite similar to the expression "used to."

Examples:

 She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

 He didn't like tomatoes before.

 Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?

  People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

Simple Past Tips

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I
dropped my pen..." or "when class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain whe
n-clauses.

Examples:

 When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.

 She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.

When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the simple past. Both of the examples above mean the sam
e thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of
the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid
her one dollar.

Example:

 I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You just called Debbie.

 Did you just call Debbie?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

 Tom repaired the car. Active

 The car was repaired by Tom. Passive