ENGLISH II
Past and Perfect Tenses
PAST AND PERFECT TENSES
Los tiempos de pasado y perfecto en inglés tienen usos que a veces no
coinciden con su correspondiente tiempo en castellano; por eso es muy
importante que aprendamos a utilizarlos correctamente sin traducirlos
directamente de nuestro idioma. Si estudias este cuadro y a continuación
los diagramas temporales con los diferentes usos, te ayudará a entender
mejor los errores que se cometen cuando se usan estos verbos en inglés.
Tienes que intentar aprender a pensar en inglés no a traducir.
Además del cuadro resumen, tienes más materiales para repasar este tema
y ejercicios de refuerzo.
TIEMPO USOS EJEMPLOS EXPRESIONES
VERBAL ASOCIADAS
Acciones acabadas “I finished university
en un tiempo pasado three years ago”
(reciente o lejano).
La duración no
importa.
Yesterday, last …,
Past simple Debe usarse cuando “When did you finish before, ago, when
expresamos cuando university?”
ocurrió (when) algo.
Hechos pasados “She got up at 8 am,
expresados en took a bath, had
secuencia. breakfast and went to
work.”
Acciones que “We have lived in
empezaron en el London for 2 years”
pasado y que aún no
han finalizado
Sucesos recientes “I’ve broken my leg”
pero sin especificar
Present cuando, que tienen already, ever, just,
perfect resultado en el never, yet, so far,
simple presente till now, up to now,
since, for, lately,
Acciones realizadas “It has rained a lot this recently
en un periodo de week”
tiempo que aún no
ha finalizado
Acciones que acaban “I have just finished
de finalizar en este work”
mismo momento
Acciones que acaban “She has been cooking
de finalizar y her birthday party”
resaltan la
Present duración del
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Past and Perfect Tenses
perfect proceso más que el
continuous resultado (en este all day, for, since,
caso debe usarse how long?, the
present p.simple) whole week
Acciones que aún no “She has been waiting
han finalizado pero for two hours”
que enfatizan la
duración del
proceso
Acciones pasadas “When he phoned, I had already, just,
que tuvieron lugar already gone to bed” never, not yet,
Past antes de otra acción once, until that
perfect también en el day, III condicional
simple pasado. *(ver
cuadro aparte)
Enfatiza el proceso y “She had been smoking Already, when…
la duración de un for 20 years when she
Past suceso que ocurrió finally gave it up”
perfect antes de otro suceso
en el pasado. (el
continuous
p.p.simple sólo
enfatiza la
finalización)
* PAST PERFECT/SIMPLE PAST: En estos ejemplos, Event A es el primero en
ocurrir (Past perfect), Event B es el segundo o el más reciente (Past simple):
John had gone out when I arrived in the office.
a.
Event A Event B
I had saved my document before the computer crashed.
b.
Event A Event B
When they arrived we had already started cooking
c.
Event B Event A
He was very tired because he hadn't slept well.
d.
Event B Event A
Past perfect + just
'Just' se usa con past perfect para referirse a una acción que sólo ocurrió un poco
antes que la otra acción mencionada:
a. The train had just left when I arrived at the station. “El tren acababa de salir …”
b. She had just left the room when the police arrived. “Acababa de salir de …”
c. I had just put the washing out when it started to rain. “Acababa de tender …”
Estas explicaciones con diagramas te ayudarán a entender lo anterior:
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ENGLISH II
Past and Perfect Tenses
Past simple
USE 1 Completed Action in the Past
I saw a movie yesterday.
USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions
I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
USE 3 Duration in Past
We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
Present perfect simple
USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now
RECUERDA: No se puede usar el Present Perfect con expresiones de tiempo
específicas, por ejemplo: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I
lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc.
I have seen that movie twenty times.
USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now
I have had a cold for two weeks.
She has been in England for six months.
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Past and Perfect Tenses
Present perfect continuous
USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now
RECUERDA: en comparación con el Present perfect simple, el continuo enfatiza la
duración del proceso, es decir, el tiempo que llevas haciendo esa actividad.
They have been talking for the last hour.
USE 2 Recently, Lately
Recently, I have been feeling really tired.
Past perfect simple
USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past
RECUERDA: expresa siempre la idea de que algo ocurrió antes de otra acción en el
pasado.
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.
USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)
Algo empezó en el pasado y continuó hasta otra acción del pasado.
We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
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Past and Perfect Tenses
Past perfect continuous
USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past
Este tiempo está relacionado con el present perfect continuous, pero en este caso la
duración no continúa hasta el momento de hablar, acaba antes de otra acción también en
el pasado.
They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of
business
USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past
Usar este tiempo para expresar una acción antes que otra en el pasado es un
buena forma de expresar la causa y el efecto. Examples:
Jason was tired because he had been jogging.
Exercises
WRITE POSITIVE SENTENCES IN PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
The following people have just completed an action.
1. Bob / visit / his grandma →
2. Jimmy / play / on the computer →
3. Sue and Walter / buy / a new car →
4. Andrew / repair / his bike →
5. Phil / help / Anne with maths →
6. Brad and Louise / see / a film →
7. Tamara / write to / her best friend →
8. Bridgette / draw / a picture →
9. Carol / read / a computer magazine →
10. Tom and Alice / be / to a restaurant →
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ENGLISH II
Past and Perfect Tenses
WRITE NEGATIVE SENTENCES IN PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE.
The weather was wonderful today. So the children were in the park all afternoon and
have not done their household chores:
1. Sarah / not / wash the dishes →
2. Anita / not / clean the kitchen →
3. Maureen and Gavin / not / water the plants →
4. Joey / not / make his bed →
5. David / not / buy milk →
6. Lisa / not / be to the baker's →
7. Aran and Jack / not / do their homework →
8. Jane and Ben / not / tidy up their rooms →
9. Alex / not / feed the hamster →
10. Hazel / not / empty the bin →
WRITE QUESTIONS IN PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE.
1. you / answer / the question →
2. Jenny / lock / the door →
3. Walter / call / us →
4. you / see / the picture →
5. your parents / get / the letter →
6. it / rain / a lot →
7. how often / we / sing / the song →
8. Maureen / watch / the film →
9. how many books / Bob / read →
10. ever / you / be / to London →
ASK FOR THE INFORMATION IN THE BOLD PART OF THE SENTENCE.
1. I have been in the garden. - →
2. My sister has cooked dinner. →
3. Sue has read the book twice. - →
4. My computer has crashed. - →
5. Jeane has been on holiday for eight days. →
6. Fred has done his homework. →
7. Gavin has stopped at the corner. →
8. Sarah has bought five books. - →
9. Jason has talked to his teacher. →
10. Catherine has cleaned the house because she is having a party tonight. →
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT TENSE (SIMPLE PAST OR PRESENT PERFECT
SIMPLE).
1. I (just / finish) my homework. →
2. Mary (already / write) five letters. →
3. Tom (move) to this town in 1994. →
4. My friend (be) in Canada two years ago. →
5. I (not / be) to Canada so far. →
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Past and Perfect Tenses
6. But I (already / travel) to London a couple of times. →
7. Last week, Mary and Paul (go) to the cinema. →
8. I can't take any pictures because I (not / buy) a new film yet. →
9. (they / spend) their holiday in New Zealand last summer? →
10. (you / ever / see) a whale? →
WRITE POSITIVE SENTENCES IN PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE.
1. Albert / squash / play →
2. Hannah / the match / watch →
3. we / in the park / wait →
4. you / a song / sing →
5. I / a magazine / read →
6. it / rain / all day →
7. Phil and Greg / a race / run →
8. she / her teeth / brush →
9. the Millers / in London / live / for three years →
10. we / on the lake / sail →
WRITE NEGATIVE SENTENCES IN PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE.
1. we / not / in the mountains / walk →
2. Beatrice / not / in Boston / teach →
3. Ricky / not / the car / wash →
4. she / not / a poem / write →
5. we / not / tea / drink →
6. we / not / our rooms / clean →
7. the children / not / on the floor / sleep →
8. Jeff and Linda / not / cycle →
9. Christine / not / her home / decorate →
10. the cat / not / on the chair / lie / all day →
WRITE QUESTIONS IN PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE.
1. she / on the phone / talk →
2. his brother / dinner / cook →
3. Jane and Mary / badminton / play →
4. Sue / in the gym / exercise →
5. Robert / the room / paint →
6. they / trees / plant →
7. Henry / in the garage / work →
8. they / in the lake / swim →
9. how long / Boris / English / learn →
10. how long / you / for me / wait
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ENGLISH II
Past and Perfect Tenses
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT TENSE. (PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE OR PRESENT
PERFECT PROGRESSIVE)
1. I (play) football for five years. →
2. My team (win / only) two matches so far. →
3. The others (be / always) better. →
4. Are we not there yet? We (walk) for hours. →
5. But we (cover / only) an area of five miles so far. →
6. I (finish/just) my homework. →
7. I (work) on this essay since two o'clock. →
8. Jane (go out) with Bob for seven years. →
9. Martin (date) three girls this week. →
10. How long (wait / you) for us? →
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT FORM (PAST PERFECT SIMPLE).
1. The storm destroyed the sandcastle that we (build) . →
2. He (not / be) to Cape Town before 1997. →
3. When she went out to play, she (do / already) her homework. →
4. My brother ate all of the cake that our mum (make) . →
5. The doctor took off the plaster that he (put on) six weeks before. →
6. The waiter brought a drink that I (not / order) . →
7. I could not remember the poem we (learn) the week before. →
8. The children collected the chestnuts that (fall) from the tree. →
9. (he / phone) Angie before he went to see her in London? →
10. She (not / ride) a horse before that day. →
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT TENSE (SIMPLE PAST OR PAST PERFECT
SIMPLE).
1. When he (wake up) woke up, his mother (already / prepare) had already
prepared breakfast.
2. We (go) … to London because the Queen (invite)… us for tea.
3. He (hear) … the news, (go) …. to the telephone and (call) …
a friend.
4. When she (start) …. to learn English, she (already / learn) ….
French.
5. Jane (already / type) … ten pages when her computer (crash) ….
6. By the time he (arrive)… at the pub, they (run) … out of
beer.
7. Before that day we (never / think) … of going to Japan.
8. I (know) … him for a long time before I (meet) .. his
family.
9. They (not / know) … where to meet because nobody (tell) …
them.
10. It (be) … cloudy for days before it finally (begin) …. to rain.
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ENGLISH II
Past and Perfect Tenses
CHOOSE THE RIGHT TENSE: SIMPLE PAST / PRESENT PERFECT / PAST PERFECT
1. When I (arrive) … home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare) … a
beautiful candle-lit dinner.
2. Since I began acting, I (perform) … in two plays, a television
commercial and a TV drama. However, I (speak, never even) … publicly
before I came to Hollywood in 1985.
3. By the time I got to the office, the meeting (begin, already) … without me. My boss
(be) … furious with me and I (be) … fired.
4. When I (turn) … the radio on yesterday, I (hear) … a song that
was popular when I was in high school. I (hear, not) … the song in years, and
it (bring) … back some great memories.
5. Last week, I (run) … into an ex-girlfriend of mine. We (see, not) …
each other in years, and both of us (change) … a great deal. I (enjoy)
… talking to her so much that I (ask) … her out on a date. We
are getting together tonight for dinner.
6. When Jack (enter) …. the room, I (recognize, not) … him.
He looked totally different! because he (lose) … so much weight ande (grow)
… a beard.
7. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan;
however, their culture (disappear, virtually) … by the time Europeans first
(arrive) … in the New World.
8. I (visit) …. so many beautiful places since I (come) …. to
Utah. Before moving here, I (hear, never) …. of Bryce Canyon, Zion,
Arches or Canyonlands.
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT TENSE: PRESENT PERFECT / PAST PERFECT
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS / PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
It is already 9:30 pm and I (wait) … here for over an hour. If John does
not get here in the next five minutes, I am going to leave.
2. I was really angry at John yesterday. By the time he finally arrived, I (wait) ….
for over an hour. I almost left without him.
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ENGLISH II
Past and Perfect Tenses
3. Did you hear that Ben was fired last month? He (work) … for that import
company for more than ten years and he (work) … in almost every
department. Nobody knew the company like he did.
4. I (see) … many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt.
Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.
5. Sarah (climb) … the Matterhorn, (sail) … around
the world, and (go) … on safari in Kenya. She is such an
adventurous person.
6. Sarah (climb) … the Matterhorn, (sail) … around
the world and (go) … on safari in Kenya by the time she turned twenty-
five. She (experience) … more by that age than most people do in their entire
lives.
7. When Melanie came into the office yesterday, her eyes were red and watery. I think
she (cry) ….
Check your answers
KEY
WRITE POSITIVE SENTENCES IN PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
The following people have just completed an action.
11. Bob / visit / his grandma → has visited
12. Jimmy / play / on the computer → has played
13. Sue and Walter / buy / a new car → have bought
14. Andrew / repair / his bike → has repaired
15. Phil / help / Anne with maths → has helped
16. Brad and Louise / see / a film → have seen
17. Tamara / write to / her best friend → has written
18. Bridgette / draw / a picture → has drawn
19. Carol / read / a computer magazine → has read
20. Tom and Alice / be / to a restaurant → have been
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ENGLISH II
Past and Perfect Tenses
WRITE NEGATIVE SENTENCES IN PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE.
The weather was wonderful today. So the children were in the park all afternoon and
have not done their household chores:
11. Sarah / not / wash the dishes → hasn’t washed
12. Anita / not / clean the kitchen → hasn’t cleaned
13. Maureen and Gavin / not / water the plants → haven’t watered
14. Joey / not / make his bed → hasn’t made
15. David / not / buy milk → hasn’t bought
16. Lisa / not / be to the baker's → hasn’t been
17. Aran and Jack / not / do their homework → haven’t done
18. Jane and Ben / not / tidy up their rooms → haven’t tidied
19. Alex / not / feed the hamster → hasn’t fed
20. Hazel / not / empty the bin → hasn’t emptied
WRITE QUESTIONS IN PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE.
11. you / answer / the question → Have you answered… ?
12. Jenny / lock / the door → Has Jenny locked… ?
13. Walter / call / us → Has Walter called us ?
14. you / see / the picture → Have you seen… ?
15. your parents / get / the letter → Have your parents got … ?
16. it / rain / a lot → Has it rained … ?
17. how often / we / sing / the song → How often have we sung … ?
18. Maureen / watch / the film → Has Maureen watched … ?
19. how many books / Bob / read → How many books has Bob read?
20. ever / you / be / to London → Have you ever been to … ?
ASK FOR THE INFORMATION IN THE BOLD PART OF THE SENTENCE.
11. I have been in the garden. - → Where have you been?
12. My sister has cooked dinner. → Who has cooked dinner?
13. Sue has read the book twice. - → How many times has she read the book?
14. My computer has crashed. - → What has crashed?
15. Jeane has been on holiday for eight days.→How long has she been on holiday?
16. Fred has done his homework. → What has he done?
17. Gavin has stopped at the corner. → Where has Gavin stopped?
18. Sarah has bought five books. - → How many books has Sarah bought?
19. Jason has talked to his teacher. → Who has Jason talked to?
20. Catherine has cleaned the house because she is having a party tonight. →
Why has she cleaned the house?
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ENGLISH II
Past and Perfect Tenses
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT TENSE: SIMPLE PAST OR PRESENT PERFECT
SIMPLE. (subrayada la expresion asociada)
11. I (just / finish) my homework. → I have just finished …
12. Mary (already / write) five letters. → Mary has already written …
13. Tom (move) to this town in 1994. → Tom moved …
14. My friend (be) in Canada two years ago. → My friend was …
15. I (not / be) to Canada so far. → I haven’t been …
16. But I (already / travel) to London a couple of times. → I have already travelled..
17. Last week, Mary and Paul (go) to the cinema. → went …
18. I can't take any pictures because I (not / buy) a new film yet.→ I haven’t bought
19. (they / spend) their holiday in New Zealand last summer? → Did they spend…?
20. (you / ever / see) a whale? → Have you ever seen …?
WRITE POSITIVE SENTENCES IN PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS.
11. Albert / squash / play → has been playing
12. Hannah / the match / watch → has been watching
13. we / in the park / wait → have been waiting
14. you / a song / sing → have been singing
15. I / a magazine / read → have been reading
16. it / rain / all day → has been raining
17. Phil and Greg / a race / run → have been running
18. she / her teeth / brush → has been brushing
19. the Millers / in London / live / for three years → have been living
20. we / on the lake / sail → have been sailing
WRITE NEGATIVE SENTENCES IN PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS.
11. we / not / in the mountains / walk → haven’t been walking
12. Beatrice / not / in Boston / teach → hasn’t been teaching
13. Ricky / not / the car / wash → hasn’t been washing
14. she / not / a poem / write → hasn’t been writing
15. we / not / tea / drink → haven’t been drinking
16. we / not / our rooms / clean → haven’t been cleaning
17. the children / not / on the floor / sleep → haven’t been sleeping
18. Jeff and Linda / not / cycle → haven’t been cycling
19. Christine / not / her home / decorate → hasn’t been decorating
20. the cat / not / on the chair / lie / all day → hasn’t been lying
WRITE QUESTIONS IN PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS.
11. she / on the phone / talk → Has she been talking …?
12. his brother / dinner / cook → Has he been cooking …?
13. Jane and Mary / badminton / play → Have they been playing …?
14. Sue / in the gym / exercise → Has she been exercising …?
15. Robert / the room / paint → Has he been painting …?
16. they / trees / plant → Have they been planting …?
17. Henry / in the garage / work → Has he been working …?
18. they / in the lake / swim → Have they been swimming …?
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Past and Perfect Tenses
19. how long / Boris / English / learn → How long has he been learning..?
20. how long / you / for me / wait → How long have you been waiting …?
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT TENSE: PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE OR PRESENT
PERFECT CONTINUOUS
11. I (play) football for five years. → have been playing
12. My team (win / only) two matches so far. → has only won
13. The others (be / always) better. → have always been
14. Are we not there yet? We (walk) for hours. → have been walking
15. But we (cover / only) an area of five miles so far. → have only covered
16. I (finish/just) my homework. → have just finished
17. I (work) on this essay since two o'clock. → have been working
18. Jane (go out) with Bob for seven years. → has been going out
19. Martin (date) three girls this week. → has dated
20. How long (wait / you) for us? → have you been waiting
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT FORM: PAST PERFECT SIMPLE
11. The storm destroyed the sandcastle that we (build) . → had built
12. He (not / be) to Cape Town before 1997. → hadn’t been
13. When she went out to play,she (do/already) her homework. → had already done
14. My brother ate all of the cake that our mum (make) . → had made
15. The doctor took off the plaster that he (put on) six weeks before. → had put on
16. The waiter brought a drink that I (not / order) . → I hadn’t ordered
17. I could not remember the poem we (learn) the week before. → had learnt
18. The children collected the chestnuts that (fall) from the tree. → had fallen
19. (he / phone) Angie before he went to see her in London? → Had he phoned
20. She (not / ride) a horse before that day. → hadn’t ridden
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT TENSE: SIMPLE PAST OR PAST PERFECT SIMPLE
11. When he woke up, his mother had already prepared breakfast.
12. We went to London because the Queen had invited us for tea.
13. He heard the news, went to the telephone and called a friend.
14. When she started to learn English, she had already learnt French.
15. Jane had already typed ten pages when her computer crashed
16. By the time he arrived at the pub, they had run out of beer.
17. Before that day we had never thought of going to Japan.
18. I had known him for a long time before I met his family.
19. They didn’t know where to meet because nobody had told them.
20. It had been cloudy for days before it finally began to rain.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT TENSE: SIMPLE PAST / PRESENT PERFECT / PAST PERFECT
1. When I arrived home last night, I discovered that Jane had prepared a beautiful
candle-lit dinner.
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Past and Perfect Tenses
2. Since I began acting, I have performed in two plays, a television commercial and a
TV drama. However, I had never even spoken publicly before I came to Hollywood in
1985.
3. By the time I got to the office, the meeting had already begun without me. My boss
was furious with me and I was fired.
4. When I turned the radio on yesterday, I heard a song that was popular when I was in
high school. I hadn’t heard the song in years, and it brought back some great memories.
5. Last week, I ran into an ex-girlfriend of mine. We hadn’t seen each other in years,
and both of us had changed a great deal. I enjoyed talking to her so much that I asked
her out on a date. We are getting together tonight for dinner.
6. When Jack entered the room, I didn’t recognize him. He looked totally different!
because he had lost so much weight and (had) grown a beard.
7. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan;
however, their culture had virtually disappeared by the time Europeans first arrived
in the New World.
8. I have visited so many beautiful places since I came to Utah. Before moving here, I
had never heard of Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches or Canyonlands.
PUT THE VERBS INTO THE CORRECT TENSE: PRESENT PERFECT / PAST PERFECT
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS / PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
1. It is already 9:30 pm and I have been waiting here for over an hour. If John does not
get here in the next five minutes, I am going to leave.
2. I was really angry at John yesterday. By the time he finally arrived, I had been
waiting for over an hour. I almost left without him.
3. Did you hear that Ben was fired last month? He had been working for that import
company for more than ten years and he had work in almost every department. Nobody
knew the company like he did.
4. I had seen many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the
monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.
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Past and Perfect Tenses
5. Sarah has climbed the Matterhorn, has sailed around the world, and has been
on safari in Kenya. She is such an adventurous person.
6. Sarah had climbed the Matterhorn, had sailed around the world and had been
on safari in Kenya by the time she turned twenty-five. She had experienced
more by that age than most people do in their entire lives.
7. When Melanie came into the office yesterday, her eyes were red and watery. I think
she had been crying.
(Adapted from the webs: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html
http://english4today.com)
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