Past Perfect Simple Form:How to Use + Example Sentence

1. What is the Past Perfect Simple ?

Past Perfect Simple = had + verb (past participle)

e.g. had read, had taken, had seen, etc.

2. Past Simple vs Past Perfect - What's the Difference?

Past Simple Form = verb (past tense)

e.g. read, took, saw , etc.

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3. When to use the Past Perfect Simple - Example Situation

We use the Past Perfect with the Past Simple :

i. when we are talk about a past action & an earlier past action (event that happened earlier than the one we are talking about):

e.g.

(Past Simple)

|

When I got home, my children had already gone to bed.

|

(earlier past / action)

(Past Perfect Simple)

4. How to use Past Perfect Simple - Example Sentence

1. When I reached her flat, Susan had already left for work.

2. Had he gone out again? She wasn't sure.

3. I'd already cooked dinner for friends when Lily called to cancel.

4. We wrote to the restaurant for the poor service we'd experienced.

5. A thief broke into our elderly neighbours' flat last night. Mrs Queen had forgotten to lock the window.

5. How to form the Past Perfect tense: Positive, Negative, Yes/No Question, Short Answers

Present Past Past Participle

e.g. forget forgot forgotten

1️⃣ (positive) + short form - (had + past participle)

• I / you / we / they had ('d) forgotten

• he / she / it had ('d) forgotten

2️⃣ (negative) + short form - (had not + past participle)

• I / you / we / they had not (hadn't) forgotten

• he / she / it had not (hadn't) forgotten

3️⃣ yes/no Question

• Had I / you / we / they forgotten...?

• Had he / she / it forgotten...?

4️⃣ short answers

• Yes, I / you / we / they had.

• Yes, he / she / it had.

🔗 👉What is Past Participle - Uses & Example Sentence

🎬6. Quick Recap!

We use the:

🔹Past Simple for a past event

🔹Past Perfect Simple for an 'earlier' past which happened at a different time period. See below example sentences.

e.g.

(9.30pm) (9.00pm)

| |

- When I got home, my children had already gone to bed.

(Past Simple) (Past Perfect)

e.g.

(9.00pm) (9.30pm)

| |

- My family had already gone to bed when I got home.

(Past Perfect) (Past Simple)

📌7. Why use the Past Perfect Simple - More Example Sentence

Which event happened first? Look at the order of events.

1️⃣ Natasha went to the new Japanese supermarket on the 5th floor.

2️⃣ Natasha and I shared a bento box for lunch.

- (Using the Past Perfect Simple will make it clear which event happened earlier.)

Example:

Natasha and I shared a bento box for lunch. She had been to the new Japanese supermarket on the 5th floor.

🎯Note:

Of course, if you were to tell your story in the order that it happened you could use the Past Simple tense.

Example:

Natasha went to the new Japanese supermarket on the 5th floor. So we both shared a bento box for lunch.

🎯Grammar Tip!

When we talk about past events we usually tell the story in the order it happened (Past Simple).

🎯Learning Tip!

You may want to refer to the Vocabulary List before going to the Example Conversation.There are a couple of new phrases that might be useful for you. Do take notes.

📋8. Vocabulary List : Part of Speech, Meaning/Definition & Example

Word/Phrase & Part of Speech Meaning & Definition

​1. try something out (phrasal verb) , try (verb)

Meaning = to use / do something to see if you like it

e.g. Why don't you try out the new oven to see if it works?

​2. a while (noun) Meaning =a length of time

- quite a while = a long time

e.g. I waited quite a while for him.

3. skip (verb)

Meaning = avoid, not do something

e.g. Will skipped class today.

4. make matters worse (idiom):

Meaning= make situation more difficult; unpleasant

e.g. Mum was so angry with Dad when he forgot her birthday. To make matters worse he actually took leave from work to go fishing with his friend!

​5. warm up (phrasal verb) = to reheat cooked food

6. leftover (adjective)

Meaning= a part of something e.g. lunch which has not been eaten/used ​

e.g. Let's warm up last night's leftover fried rice for dinner.

​7. stock up (phrasal verb), stock (verb) ​

Meaning = to buy something in large quantities

e.g. Honey, please stock up the fridge. It's almost empty after last week's party.

8. ​ready meals

Meaning= cooked/prepared meal you can buy from supermarket to heat up at home.

e.g. I stocked up my fridge with frozen ready meals as I have a busy week ahead of me.

9. as good as (adverb)

Meaning = we use [as + adjective/adverb + as] to make comparisons when they are in some way equal.

e.g. My house is as big as yours.

🎯English Grammar Learning Tip!

• Make your learning personal to you.

• Study the new phrases and make your own sentences.

• Personalise them.

• Think of your life, the people you know etc. when you are practising the examples.

• Change the location, names of people and the situation etc.

  
  

📖8a. More Practice - Example Conversation

🎯Grammar Point!

1️⃣ Notice that we use the Past Simple because the events are in the order that they happened.

2️⃣ We use the Past Perfect Simple for the sequence that is out of order. Easy, right? Let's try!

💬Dialogue :

👩‍🦱👩 Sarah and Angie are colleagues. 🍕They are having their lunch break...

👩‍🦱Sarah:What did you have for dinner last night? Did you try out the new Vietnamese restaurant?

👩 Angie: No, I finished work late. And I was too tired to make dinner. So, I ordered food delivery. It took quite a while to arrive.

👩‍🦱Sarah: Oh, why didn't you get a Chinese takeaway on your way home from work? Wouldn't that be faster?

👩 Angie: Haha...yeah I know. I'd wanted to skip the long queue at the shop, that's why. And you know what? To make matters worse, the soup arrived cold and no sandwiches. I'd ordered 3 and a salad bowl.

👩‍🦱Sarah: Oh, no. Poor you!

👩 Angie: As we were so hungry, we didn't bother to make a complaint.

James warmed up the soup and we had some leftover bread we'd found in the fridge.

👩‍🦱Sarah: You should stock up on some frozen ready meals. They can be as good as some takeaways. Just heat up and dinner's ready.

👩 Angie: Great idea. Why didn't I think of that? I have to go now.

👩‍🦱Sarah: Where to?

👩 Angie: To the supermarket of course! See you tomorrow.

8b. Let's go through the sequence of events. Which are in order and which are not?

1. I was too tired to make dinner last evening.

2. So, I ordered food delivery online.

3. It took quite a while to arrive.

4. I'd wanted to skip the long queue at the shop, that's why.

5. To make matters worse, the soup arrived cold and no sandwiches! I'd ordered 3.

6. As we were so hungry, we didn't bother to make a complaint.

7. James warmed up the soup and we had some leftover bread we'd found in the fridge.

8c. Look at the events in chronological sequence = in the order in which they happened.

🔑Answer: #1, 2, 3 & 6 are in order.

🔹These 3 sentences are out of sequence so we used the Past Perfect Simple:

1️⃣ I'd wanted to skip the long queue at the shop. (this happened before she ordered food delivery)

2️⃣ To make matters worse, the soup arrived cold and no sandwiches. I'd ordered three. (Sandwiches were ordered before delivery)

3️⃣ James warmed up the soup and we had some leftover bread we'd found in the fridge. (they found the bread first before they have it)

📚9. How to use the Past Simple with the Past Perfect tense

- Example Conversation

☕️At a cafe

👩‍🦱Customer : Hi, I found this book. Can I hand it in to you?

💁‍♀️Cafe Staff: Oh, sure. Where did you find it?

👩‍🦱Customer: The book was on the seat by the window, someone had left it behind. I think it was a young lady.

💁‍♀️Cafe Staff : Oh, all right.

You can leave it with me. I think I might know who the customer is. She's a regular here. Thank you.

👩‍🦱Customer: Can I have an Espresso to go?

💁‍♀️Cafe Staff: Sure, coming right up.

🎯Grammar Point!

1. We're already talking about the past

- The book was on the seat,

2. We want to talk about an earlier past

- the little girl had forgotten to take it with her.

🎯Vocabulary Check!

*​Leave something/someone behind (Phrasal Verb), leave (verb)

Meaning= leave a place without taking something or someone with you.

e.g. Oh no! I've left my umbrella behind.

🧠10. Let's put your knowledge to the test!

i. Fill in the blank spaces with

- words/phrases,

- meaning & definition,

-or your own example sentence.

✍🏻1. What's the meaning of the following phrasal verbs:

a. try something out _________________________________________

b. stock up _________________________________________

c. warm up _________________________________________

🎯English Learning Tip!

Remember to say the words/phrases & sentences out loud.

You are practising to speak better English.

🍀You can do it!

✍🏻2. Make your own sentences with the following words:

a. quite a while - _________________________________________

b. leftover - _________________________________________

c. ready meals - _________________________________________

3. What is the idiom for "making a situation more difficult / unpleasant"?

Answer:________________________________________________

4. Make your own sentence using:

[as + adjective /adverb + as] to compare 2 things that are in some way equal

Answer: ________________________________________________

5. Change the following verbs into the Past Participle:

1. leave - left

2. go -

3. cook -

4. speak -

5. write -

6. be -

7. make -

Need More Practice?

📩Download Free PDF >>Past Perfect Grammar Worksheet/Key

🎯Grammar Point!

How many Perfect tenses are there?

Compare:

>> Present Perfect Simple

>> Present Perfect Continuous

>> Past Perfect Simple

>> Past Perfect Continuous

>> Future Perfect Simple

>> Future Perfect Continuous

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