Look at these examples to see how the past perfect is used.
He couldn't make a sandwich because he'd forgotten to buy bread.
The hotel was full, so I was glad that we'd booked in advance.
My new job wasn't exactly what I’d expected.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Time up to a point in the past
We use the past perfect simple (had + past participle) to talk about time up to a certain point in the past.
She'd published her first poem by the time she was eight.
We'd finished all the water before we were halfway up the mountain.
Had the parcel arrived when you called yesterday?
Past perfect for the earlier of two past actions
We can use the past perfect to show the order of two past events. The past perfect shows the earlier action and the past simple shows the later action.
When the police arrived, the thief had escaped.
It doesn't matter in which order we say the two events. The following sentence has the same meaning.
The thief had escaped when the police arrived.
Note that if there's only a single event, we don't use the past perfect, even if it happened a long time ago.
The Romans spoke Latin. (NOT
The Romans had spoken Latin.)
Past perfect after before
We can also use before + past perfect to show that an action was not done or was incomplete when the past simple action happened.
They left before I'd spoken to them.
Sadly, the author died before he'd finished the series.
Adverbs
We often use the adverbs already (= 'before the specified time'), still (= as previously), just (= 'a very short time before the specified time'), ever (= 'at any time before the specified time') or never (= 'at no time before the specified time') with the past perfect.
I called his office but he'd already left.
It still hadn't rained at the beginning of May.
I went to visit her when she'd just moved to Berlin.
It was the most beautiful photo I'd ever seen.
Had you ever visited London when you moved there?
I'd never met anyone from California before I met Jim.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello, I need some help with this sentence: 'I got up and had breakfast before I went to school'. I think using a PAst tense is correct or should I use a Past perfect ('had had breakfast'), considered that the action takes place before I went to school? '... Thanks
Hello ChiaraBorg,
You can use either form here. There is a sequence of actions (1-got up, 2-had breakfast, 4- went to school) so the past simple is fine. If you want to establish a connection between the last two actions for some reason (perhaps, for example, having breakfast changes something about your journey) then the past perfect is a way of doing this. It will depend on the context and the speaker's intention/view of the situation.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks
Hi Peter
Sorry for posting at this section but I went through all the sections and didn’t find an appropriate one for my comment. You can delete it after giving your reply.
1-This force made us advance towards a more possible reality.
2- This force led us to advance towards a more possible realty.
Are these sentences correct? I found these two constructions 1- made us advance 2- led us to advance on some dictionaries but idk whether they are correct or not. If not can you please provide a suggestion for me trying to rephrase the sentence what you’d think would be the best option
Thank you in advance
Andi
Hi Andi,
Both sentences are grammatically correct with just a typo in the second to change ;)
The difference between made us do and led us to do is that the former suggests a lack of choice or an imperative, whereas the latter indicates something more like guidance, a signal or a prompt.
As to which would be the best option, that would depend on your intention and the context in which you are using them.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you a lot Peter
Hi Peter
Thank you for your valuable feedback
When we talk about past perfect saying that it refers to an action that happened before another action, happened refers to the start of the action or the end of it?
For example : My mother had cooked the meal when I came home.
My mother started cooking, ended cooking, or had completed most of the cooking when I came home?
As I’ve seen Kirk comment that past perfect doesn’t indicate when it is completed it maybe before or at the same time with the other action.
Andi
Hello Andi,
This is really a question about the simple form vs the continuous/progressive aspect.
My mother had cooked - focus on the result; the meal was ready and the cooking was finished.
My mother had been cooking - focus on the activity; the meal is probably not ready (though it is ambiguous) but I can see the mess or I can see that she is tired, or I can smell the food etc.
Generally speaking, the continuous/progressive aspect focuses on the activity or procress and suggests in many contexts that an action is incomplete or in progress, while the simple sees an activity as a whole and focuses on the result of the activity or some other kind of achievement. However, these are general tendencies which particular contexts or lexis may change.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you Peter very helpful indeed
Dear Team, Could you please help me to enhance the paragraph and let me know the reasons for the changes
I know that simple past and past perfect can be used for describing past events.
I had completed all my homework before we started the trip. By the time I came back, I had fallen sick. I didn't attend any of the exams. First, my parent had talked to my class teacher then she had spoken to the principal and then they gave me a second chance to appear for the exam. When I was celebrating my bday that year, during holidays, I came to know that they had become the school topper that year.
First my parent had talked to my class teacher then she had spoken to the principal and then they gave me a second chance to appear for the exam. - Is this a correct way to use first along with past actions as I saw this in one of the comments.