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past perfect tense

Past Perfect tense Examples – All Four Forms

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The best way to learn tenses in English Grammar is to know the usage and structure of the tense and then practice different forms of example sentences. In this article we have presented various forms of Past Perfect Tense Examples which help you to understand and remember the tense.

Past Perfect Tense Examples

Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense describes an action completed at a certain time in the past. (Both singular and plural subjects will be accompanied by ‘had’ in the past perfect tense.)

Structure: Subject + Had + Verb 3 (V3) + Object

Example:

  • He had written a book when he was 10 years old.

Rule: When two past actions are mentioned in a single sentence, in order to distinguish both of them, the earlier action is described in the past perfect tense and the other action, in the simple past tense.

  • The train had already left by the time he reached the station.
  • The movie had already started by the time we entered the theatre.
  • Martin had called me before he came to my place.
  • I had deposited the money in the bank when Raj met me to borrow some.

Rule: If there is any unfulfilled wish in the past, it is expressed in the past perfect tense. For example,

  • She had hoped that I would marry her.
  • He had waited for her to come, but she didn’t.

Past Perfect Tense Examples

Like every tense, the past perfect tense can also be expressed in has four forms.

Positive : Subject + had + Verb 3 (V3) + Object

Positive Interrogative : Had +Subject + Verb 3 (V3) + Object?

Negative : Subject + had not + Verb 3 (V3) + Object

Negative Interrogative : Had not +Subject + Verb 3 (V3) + Object? (or) Had + Subject + not + V3 + Object

For example, if we take the sentence “He had left for Canada.” The sentence can be written in four forms as follows:

  • Positive : He had left for Canada.
  • Positive Interrogative : Had he left for Canada?
  • Negative : He had not left for Canada.
  • Negative Interrogative : Hadn’t he left for Canada? (Or) had he not left for Canada?

Exercise: Now, let us take some more examples and write all the four forms of those sentences.

  1. I had written him a letter.
  2. The train had left the station before I reached.
  3. The professor had exited the building before she entered.

For remaining Tenses, Click here

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Past Tense- Kinds, Structure, Example Sentences

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Past Tense- Kinds, Structures, Example Sentences

Past Tense is used in the sentences that denote an action that has already happened in the past. The four kinds of tenses that are present in this are as follows:

Simple Past Tense

Structure: Subject + Verb 2 (V2) + Object

This tense is used to express the following:

  • To describe an action that took place at any specific point in the past.
    • He spoke to me an hour ago.
    • Kohli scored a century in the last match.
    • Narendra Modi became PM of India in 2014.
    • We watched a movie yesterday.
    • Long ago, there lived a king.
  • Even though the adverb or the period of time is not mentioned in the sentence, past tense can be used simply to indicate that the action took place in the past.
    • I watched Cricket at the stadium.
    • Rahul didn’t sleep well.
    • Federer won the match.

Past Continuous

Structure: Subject + Was/ Were + Verb 1 (V1) + ing + Object

Past continuous tense was expressed in sentences containing an action that was happening at some time in the past.

  • I was watching Soccer on TV last night.
  • He was working as a teacher during this time last year.
  • I was visiting London in May last year.

Past Perfect

Structure: Subject + Had + Verb 3 (V3) + Object

The past perfect tense describes an action completed at a certain period in the past.

  • I had met him in New York in 2005.
  • He had written a book when he was 10 years old.

When two past actions are mentioned in a single sentence, in order to distinguish both of them, the earlier action is described in the past perfect and the other action, in the simple past tense.

  • The train had already left by the time he reached the station.
  • The movie had already started by the time we entered the theatre.
  • Martin had called me before he came to my place.
  • I had deposited the money in the bank when Raj met me to borrow some.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure: Subject + had been + verb 1 + ing + object

This shows an action that started in the past and continued for a period of time till some action happened in the past. We can use Past perfect continuous like the past perfect in combination of simple past.

  • Mary had been working as a nun for 30 years, when she passed away in 2015.
  • Rahul had been waiting for the bus for half an hour, when his friend picked him up.

To learn about the types, structures and examples of Present tense, click here

To learn about the types, structures and examples of future tense, click here.

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