Explanation
What is the Past Perfect?
The past perfect tense is used to talk about something that happened before another action in the past. It shows which event happened first.
You make the past perfect with:
- had + the past participle (the third form of the verb, like gone, eaten, seen).
Example:
- Before I arrived at the party, John had left.
- First: John left.
- Second: I arrived at the party.
The past perfect helps to show that one thing happened earlier than the other.
Practice
Quiz: Past Perfect Tense
- Choose the correct form of the verb: a) She ______ (finish) her homework before the movie started.
- A) had finished
- B) finished
- C) will finish
- What happened first?
- I had already eaten before they invited me for dinner.
- A) I ate first.
- B) They invited me first.
- Fill in the blank:
- By the time we got to the station, the train ______ (leave).
- A) leave
- B) had left
- C) is leaving
- Choose the sentence that uses the past perfect correctly:
- A) They had went home before it started raining.
- B) They had gone home before it started raining.
- C) They went home before it had started raining.
- What is the past perfect of this sentence?
- “He finishes the book.”
- A) He had finished the book.
- B) He finish the book.
- C) He is finishing the book.
- Choose the correct form of the verb:
- After they ______ (leave), we locked the door.
- A) had left
- B) left
- C) were leaving
- Which happened first?
- She had called me before I could finish my homework.
- A) She called me first.
- B) I finished my homework first.
- Fill in the blank:
- When the teacher arrived, the students ______ (already, complete) their assignments.
- A) had already completed
- B) already completed
- C) complete
- Choose the sentence that uses the past perfect correctly:
- A) We had seen that movie before they invited us to the theater.
- B) We had saw that movie before they invited us to the theater.
- C) We seen that movie before they had invited us.
- Which sentence shows the correct order of events?
- A) By the time she had gotten home, the sun set.
- B) By the time she got home, the sun had set.
- C) By the time she had gotten home, the sun had set.
- What is the past perfect of this sentence?
- “They eat lunch.”
- A) They had eaten lunch.
- B) They had ate lunch.
- C) They eaten lunch.
- Fill in the blank:
- I couldn’t believe that she ______ (not, hear) the news before I told her.
- A) hadn’t heard
- B) didn’t heard
- C) had not hear
- Choose the correct form of the verb:
- After he ______ (study) for hours, he finally felt ready for the exam.
- A) had studied
- B) studied
- C) studies
- Which sentence is correct?
- A) He had completed the task before the deadline was over.
- B) He completed the task before the deadline was over.
- C) He had completed the task before the deadline had been over.
- Fill in the blank:
- They didn’t realize that I ______ (see) the movie already.
- A) had seen
- B) have seen
- C) see
Answer Key
1. She ______ (finish) her homework before the movie started.
- A) had finished
Explanation: The past perfect (“had finished”) shows that the homework was completed before the movie started.
2. What happened first?
- I had already eaten before they invited me for dinner.
- A) I ate first.
Explanation: The past perfect (“had already eaten”) shows that the eating happened before the invitation.
3. By the time we got to the station, the train ______ (leave).
- B) had left
Explanation: “Had left” indicates the train left before you arrived at the station.
4. Choose the sentence that uses the past perfect correctly:
- B) They had gone home before it started raining.
Explanation: “Had gone” shows that they went home before the rain started.
5. What is the past perfect of this sentence?
- “He finishes the book.”
- A) He had finished the book.
Explanation: The past perfect form of “finishes” is “had finished.”
6. After they ______ (leave), we locked the door.
- A) had left
Explanation: “Had left” shows that they left before you locked the door.
7. Which happened first?
- She had called me before I could finish my homework.
- A) She called me first.
Explanation: The past perfect (“had called”) shows that the call happened before you finished your homework.
8. When the teacher arrived, the students ______ (already, complete) their assignments.
- A) had already completed
Explanation: The past perfect (“had already completed”) indicates that the assignments were done before the teacher arrived.
9. Choose the sentence that uses the past perfect correctly:
- A) We had seen that movie before they invited us to the theater.
Explanation: “Had seen” shows that you saw the movie before the invitation.
10. Which sentence shows the correct order of events?
- B) By the time she got home, the sun had set.
Explanation: “Had set” indicates that the sun went down before she got home.
11. What is the past perfect of this sentence?
- “They eat lunch.”
- A) They had eaten lunch.
Explanation: The past perfect form of “eat” is “had eaten.”
12. I couldn’t believe that she ______ (not, hear) the news before I told her.
- A) hadn’t heard
Explanation: The negative form of past perfect is “hadn’t heard,” meaning she did not hear the news before you told her.
13. After he ______ (study) for hours, he finally felt ready for the exam.
- A) had studied
Explanation: “Had studied” shows that the studying was completed before he felt ready.
14. Which sentence is correct?
- A) He had completed the task before the deadline was over.
Explanation: “Had completed” indicates that the task was done before the deadline passed.
15. They didn’t realize that I ______ (see) the movie already.
- A) had seen
Explanation: “Had seen” shows that you had seen the movie before they realized it.