Unit 3:

Grammar :                                                                           I- The past perfect

Definition:

The past perfect is a verb tense which is used to show that an action took place once or many times before another point in the past. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and present perfect exercises.

Past Perfect Forms:

 The past perfect is formed using had + past participle. Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and had. Negatives are made with not.

• Statement: You had studied English before you moved to New York.
• Question: Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
• Negative: You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

Positive	Negative	Question
I had finished.	I had not finished.	Had I finished?
You had finished.	You had not finished.	Had you finished?
We had finished.	We had not finished.	Had we finished?
They had finished.	They had not finished.	Had they finished?
He had finished.	He had not finished.	Had he finished?
She had finished.	She had not finished.	Had she finished?
It had finished.	It had not finished.	Had it finished?

 

Past Perfect uses:

a)       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.

b) Reported speech : The past perfect simple is often used when we report what people had said/thought/ believed.

Examples:

• Peter told me he had already paid the bill.
• Sarah believed that John had moved to Italy.
• I thought we had already decided on a name for this product.

c) Adverbials with the past perfect:

The following adverbials are used with the past perfect: After/ when/ as soon as/ until/ before.

More examples :

• I had never seen such a beautiful city before I went to Chefchaouen.
• I had never eaten such delicious bolognese spaghettis until last night
• Had she learned her lesson before she passed her exam?
• I had been to France before last year

Grammar 2:                                                                      II) Past Perfect Continuous

1) Definition:

The past perfect continuous (also called past perfect progressive) is a verb tense which is used to show that an action started in the past and continued up to another point in the past.

Examples:                                                            

• They had been playing for more than 3 hours before the teacher arrived.
• Morroccan national team had been struggling more than 20 years before they finally made it to the Russian world cup.

 

2) Past Perfect Continuous Forms:

 

Subject	+ Had + been( past participle of verb to be)	+ ing form
He	had been	playing
They	had been	eating

Examples :

• I had been waiting there for more than 1 hour when he finally called me.
• Had you been waiting there for more than 1 hour when he finally called you?

 

Positive	Negative	Question
I had been listening.	I had not been listening.	Had I been listening?
You had been listening.	You had not been listening.	Had you been listening?
We had been listening.	We had not been listening.	Had we been listening?
They had been listening.	They had not been listening	Had they been listening?
He had been listening.	He had not been listening.	Had he been listening?
She had been listening.	She had not been listening.	Had she been listening?
It had been listening.	It had not been listening.	Had it been listening?

 

 

3)Uses:

When do we use past perfect continuous?

We use the Past Perfect Continuous to:

 

Uses:	Examples:
a)To show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past.	The miners had been digging all night long when an explosion occurred .
b)To explain why an activity or feeling in the past occurred. (Cause of Something in the Past)	Jason was tired because he had been jogging. Sam gained weight because he had been overeating. Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.
c)We often use the past perfect continuous when we want to underline the duration of an activity in the past. ( to emphasise that something occurred for a long time before another event in the past)	They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived. She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business. How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?