Phenomenal English

Past Perfect

Definition of Past Perfect:

Past Perfect tense expresses multiple completed actions in the past. It talks about an action that happened before another action. Past Perfect allows to convey the sequence or order of the completed actions with combination of Simple Past. Past Perfect indicates earlier action and Simple Past indicates later action. Change in the order of these two tenses does not affect the meaning of whole sentence.

Usages of Past Perfect:

1. To express an action in the past occurred before another action in the past.
   • Situation: The train left 8am. We reached 8.10am.
     Sentence will be: When we reached the station, the train had departed.
     The action train had left occurred before occuring the action when we reached. Both actions are in the past.
2. We use Past Perfect to indicate time or an event in the past.
   • We had bought that house when my eldest son was seven years old.
   • People had protested when President Canady was assassinated. (Event: assissination)
   • Probably it was 1990 when we had visited America for the first time. (Time: 1990)
3. To describe dissatisfaction or wish in the past.
   • I wished I had been wealthy. (wish)
   • He wished he had not mudered his brother. (dissatisfaction)
   • The boy wished he had known her name.
4. Past Perfect is always used with some conjunction or adverb otherwise it must be turned into Simple Past.
   • Mark had lost his purse therefore he did not have any ready money. (Conjuction: therefore)
   • I had already eaten food. OR I ate food. (without already it will be Simple Past)
   • Workers had gone to their houses before factory owner came.
5. To express condition of two actions completed in the past.
   • If I had been rich, I would have helped him.
   • If he had knowledge, he would have written an essay on global warming.
   • If I had had this book, I might have gifted her.
6. We use Past Perfect in narration (Direct and Indirect).
   • He told me that he had had a car.
   • Teacher asked if the students had prepared their test.
   • Students exclaimed with joy that they had got their degrees.

Formation of Past Perfect:

Affirmative Sentences

In positive or affirmative sentences of Past Perfect Tense we use had and past participle (3rd form) of verb. Had is used with 1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person i.e (I, we, they, you, he, she, it, singular names and plural names).

Interrogative Sentences

In interrogative sentences of Past Perfect Tense we drag had before subject and use past participle (3rd form) of verb. Had is used with 1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person i.e (I, we, they, you, he, she, it, singular names and plural names).

Negative Sentences

In negative sentences of Past Perfect Tense we use not after had and past participle (3rd form) of verb. Had is used with 1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person i.e (I, we, they, you, he, she, it, singular names and plural names).