Past Perfect Simple and
Continuous
Senior Lecturer, PhD: Denisa Bărbuceanu
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Topic
Past perfect Simple/
Continuous
Past Perfect Simple
Form: S+ aux. HAD + V-3rd form (for irregular verbs)
I had gone
+ V-ed (for regular verbs)
I had worked
Singular Plural
I pers. I had worked we had worked
II pers. you had worked you had worked
III pers. He/ Tim had worked they / the boys had worked
She/ Anna had worked they / the girls had worked
it / the wind had blown they /the dogs had barked
Positive S + aux. had + p.p. V
Anna had walked home.
Negative S + aux. v + neg. + p.p.V
Anna had not walked home.
Question aux. v + S + p.p.V
Had Anna walked home?
When I came home /2 mother had already left. /1
Before I went to school /2 I had had breakfast. / 1
After I had had breakfast /1 I went to school. / 2
Past Perfect Simple refers to:
Order of past events: one past event happens before another past
event; we use past perfect for the older action:
She had finished work when she met her friends for coffee.
Action finished in the past, results visible in the past:
He was happy. He had signed an important contract.
Past Perfect Continuous
Form: S+ HAD + BEEN+ V + ing
I had been working
Anna had been working
Singular Plural
I pers. I had been working we had been working
II pers. you had been working you had been working
III pers. He / Tim had been working they / the boys had been working
She / Anna had been working they / the girls had been working
it / the wind had been blowing they /the dogs had been barking
Positive S + aux. had + been + V +ing
Anna had been working.
Negative S + aux. had + neg + been + V +ing
Anna had not been working.
Question aux. had + S + been + V +ing
Had Anna been working?
Past perfect continuous refers to:
Action began before the time of speaking in the past, and continued
up to that time, or stopped just before it, emphasis on duration:
They had been looking for a house for six months before they found
one they liked.
Action which lasted in the past, results visible in the past:
Last Friday Ron had to fly to New York. His flight was delayed. He was annoyed. He had
been waiting at the airport for three hours.
PRACTICE
4. Put the verbs in brackets into =the right form:
1. When he (to wake up) his mother (already/ to prepare) breakfast.
2. We (to go) to Bucharest because my uncle (to invite) us for tea.
3. After she (to hear) the news, (to go) to the telephone and (to call) a friend.
4. When she (to start) to learn Chinese, she (already/ to learn) English.
5. My sister (already/ to type) ten pages when her computer (to crash).
6. By the time he (to arrive) at the wedding, they (to run out) of wine.
7. Before that day we (never/ to think) of going to Tibet.
8. I (to know) him for a long time before I (to meet) his family.
9. They (not/ to know) where to meet because nobody (to tell) them.
10. It (to be) cloudy for days before it finally (to begin) to rain.
4.1. Put the verbs in brackets into Past Perfect Continuous form:
a) We (to sleep) for 2 hours when my mother came and woke us up.
b) They (to wait) in front of the building for 40 minutes when Tim finally
arrived.
c) We (to look for) her purse for 3 hours and then we found it in the bathroom.
d) I (not/ to walk) for a long time, when it suddenly began to snow.
e) How long (to learn/ she) for the exams before she failed it?
f) Scott caught the flu because he (to walk) in the rain too long.
g) He (to drive) less than an hour when he had a flat tire.
h) They were very tired because they (to play) football all day long.
i) I (to work) all day; so I was tired and went to sleep.
4.2. Which action comes first in each sentence? Write 1 or 2 after the verbs.
1. Russell realised [ 2 ] his mistake only hours after he had sent [ 1 ] the money.
2. When Kris arrived [ ] at the station, the group had already left [ ].
3. When Kris arrived [ ] at the station, the group left [ ].
4. Mandy had asked [ ] her father to lend her the car before, but this time he agreed [ ].
5. Sam had been [ ] in the room for some time before he realised [ ] it was the wrong class.
6. By the time the builders completed [ ] the work, we had already moved in [ ].
7. When the builders had completed [ ] the work, we moved in [ ].
8. Jelena started [ ] the course because she hadn't found [ ] a job.
9. Kevin got [ ] the job because he had been [ ] the best interviewee.
4.3. Complete the sentences with the past perfect continuous of the verbs from the box.
not listen not wear play rain work
1. Jack was feeling exhausted because he .....................................for three hours.
2. Barry and Gill were soaked when they arrived because it…………heavily.
3. Emma found the essay difficult because she…………..in the lecture.
4. Yolanda fell asleep at her desk because she…………….too hard.
5. The children were dirty because they………….in the garden.
6. Will had got really sunburnt because he……………..any sunscreen.
4.4. Match the sentences 1-5 with the correct meaning, A or B.
1. The plane had landed when we heard the noise.
A We heard it before the plane landed. (5) We heard it after the plane landed.
2. The children were preparing breakfast when I woke up.
A Breakfast was ready. B Breakfast wasn't ready.
3. When Jeanette opened the door, I saw that she had been crying.
A Her eyes were red. B There were tears running down her face.
4. When Boris and Angela arrived, we'd already eaten dinner.
A Dinner was still in progress. B Dinner was over.
5. I'd already decided to leave the area when the new neighbours moved in.
A I decided to leave before they came. B I decided to leave after they came.
6. I decided to leave the area when the new neighbours moved in.
A I decided to leave before they came. B I decided to leave because of the neighbours.
