Past Perfect (Simple and Continuous)

PRESENTATION

Past Perfect

Simple vs. Continuous

INDEX

1. Past Perfect Simple2. Usage 3. Form 4. Timeline 5. Negatives 6. Timeline 7. Questions

8. Past Perfect Continuous9. Usage 10. Versus 11. Thanks

Past Perfect Simple

Telling a story

When we tell a story, we often use the past perfect to talk about an event that happened BEFORE another event in the past.

FORM: HAD + PP

e.g. He had sent an email to his boss before he went to work.

TIMELINE

Present

Past

Past Perfect

he WENT to work

before

He HAD SENT an email

Negative: hadn't + PP

e.g. I was angry when I heard that he hadn't read my message.

TIMELINE

Present

Past

Past Perfect

I WAS angry

He HADN'T READ my massage

Questions:

e.g. Had the film started when you arrived?

Past Perfect Continuous

Telling a story

FORM: HAD + BEEN + (v+ (-ing))

e.g. It had been raining for a long time before the match started.

USAGE

03

01

02

to focus on how long an activity had been happening.

to talk about actions that started in the past and continued until another time in the past.

to talk about actions that stopped and had a result in the past.

e.g. Jack had been suffering from a serious illness since he was born.

e.g. He had been skiing on his own until the others came.

e.g. They had been waiting for that moment for years.

VERSUS

PAst Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect Simple

actions in the past which were in prgoress over a period of time before another past action.

actions in the past which were completed before another action in the past.

e.g. She had been cleaning the house before the guests came.

e.g. She had cleaned the house before the guests came.

THANKS