PAST PERFECT

Past PerfectFORM
[had + past participle]
Examples:

You had studied English before you moved to New York.
Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
You had not studied English before you moved to New York.


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 specific 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 continued 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. >


Example:

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


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


EXERCISE
Simple Past / Past Perfect

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses,


I can't believe I ______________(get) that apartment. I ___________(submit) my application last week, but I didn't think I had a chance of actually getting it. When I ___________(show) up to take a look around, there were at least twenty other people who______________ (arrive) before me. Most of them______________ (fill, already) out their applications and were already leaving. The landlord said I could still apply, so I did.

I ___________(try) to fill out the form, but I couldn't answer half of the questions. They _________(want) me to include references, but I didn't want to list my previous landlord because I ________(have) some problems with him in the past and I knew he wouldn't recommend me. I ___________(end) up listing my father as a reference.

It was total luck that he ___________(decide) to give me the apartment. It turns out that the landlord and my father___________ (go) to high school together. He decided that I could have the apartment before he ______________(look) at my credit report. I really lucked out!