The Past Perfect Tense Simple & Continuous Explanations

                                            

               PAST PERFECT TENSE SIMPLE

FORM

Affirmative  – S +Had + 3^rd form of verb

Interrogative – Had + S + 3^rd form of verb

Negative – S + had + negation + 3^rd form of verb

Using the Past Perfect

The past perfect tense is most often used for the following:

- For actions that happened before a past event
- In reported speech
- In if (conditional) sentences

1: 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.

2: With Non Continuous verbs

With Non-Continuous Verbs we use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.

Examples:

We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.

By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.

They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.

3: In reported speech

The past perfect is common when we report people's words or thoughts .., as in the following examples:

John said that he had never eaten sushi before.

She told me that she had finished, but I knew she had not.

She wondered why he had been so unkind to her.

He told me he hadn't done his homework, but he hoped to finish it on the bus.

I thought I had sent her a birthday card, but I was wrong.

4. If Clauses

The past perfect tense is used in unreal or hypothetical situations, as in the following sentences:

If I had known you were in Frankfurt, I would have called you. (but I didn't know you were here so I didn't call you!)

If I had had enough money, I would have bought you a better present. (but I didn't have enough money.)

I would have been very angry if you had laughed when I got the answer wrong. (but you didn't laugh, so I wasn't angry.)

She wouldn't have been able to finish, if you hadn't helped her. (but you did help her and she did finish.)

I wish I had studied for my exams. (but I didn't study - and I got bad grades!)

I would have been in big trouble if you hadn't helped me. (but you did help me so I stayed out of trouble.)

INVERSION IN IF CLAUSE:

Had you helped her, she would have passed the exams.

5. the past perfect equivalent of the Present Perfect

He had played hockey.

Present Perfect	Past Perfect
The bike is new. I have bought it.	The bike was new. I had bought it.

              PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Form

The past perfect continuous tense is made with the auxiliaries had been + present participle (-ing ending, e.g. working, trying, writing, singing ... )
Positive statement: I had been doing. 
Negative statement: I had not been doing. 
Question form: Had I been doing?
Negative question: Had I not been doing?

Use

It is used for activities that began before a point of time and were still continuing at that point of time.

Last summer Josh had been renovating his house for two years. (He started three years ago and last summer he was still renovating his house.)

Note

The past perfect continous and the present perfect continuous are basically very similar. The difference is, however, that in the present perfect we refer to the present times.

I have been practising since morning. (I am still practising.)
At 11 o'clock I had been practising for two hours. (I began at 9 o'clock and at 11 o'clock I was still practising.)

The past perfect simple vs past perfect continuous

For activities that can continue for a long time we can use both the simple and continuous (work, run, study, travel, sleep ...). 

There is practically no difference in meaning, but the continuous is more usual in English.

Stephen was pretty tired. He had worked all day.

Stephen was pretty tired. He had been working all day.

In other cases these two forms have a completely different meaning.

Before midnight Paul had translated the article. (He finished his work.)

Before midnight Paul had been translating the article. (He did not finish it. He was still translating at that moment.)

If we refer to a number of individual events or events that were repeated, we must use the simple.

Before the lesson ended they had written three tests. (three individual completed activities)

But: 

It was exhausting. They had been writing tests since the lessons started. (one uninterrupted incomplete activity)

If Clause, Exercise 14

If you don`t stop now, you ---- them all before he gets here.

a.     will be using

b.     are using

c.     have used

d.     will have used

----------- some food in the house, the cats -------- for a week.

a.     Unless she hasn`t left / starved

b.     If she would have left / hadn`t been starving

c.     Even if she left / wouldn`t be starving

d.     Had she left / wouldn`t have been starving

----------, I`m sure he would have gone to bed.

a.      Had he been sleepy  

b. Unless he had been sleepy

c. However he had been sleepy   

d. As if he had been sleepy

If I -------- hard when I was young, I ------ where I am now.

a. hadn`t worked / wouldn`t be    

b. didn`t work / wouldn`t be

c.  hadn`t worked / won`t be   

d. haven`t worked / won`t have been

Daca n-ai fi fost tu sa ne imprumuti bani, ne-am fi dus la banca.

a. If it hadn`t been for you to lend us the money, we would have gone to the bank.

b. But for you not to lend us the money, we would go to the bank.

c.  If it weren`t for you to lend us the money, we went to the bank.

d.  Hadn`t been you to lend us the money, we would have gone to the bank.

 If they -------- the ferry, they ------ here now.

a. catch / are                           

b. will catch / will be

c. have caught / have been           

d. had caught / would be

If she ----- the train, she should be here now.

a. hadn`t missed       

b. doesn`t miss

c. hasn`t missed        

d. didn`t miss

If she hadn`t got back so late last night, she ---- to work on time.

a. isn`t coming

b. doesn`t come

c. won`t come      

d. would have come

CEF Test

                                 CEF TEST

CEF stands for the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF or CEFR) and was put together by the Council of Europe as a way of standardizing the levels of language exams in different regions. 
It is very widely used internationally and all important exams are mapped to the CEFR.

Underline the correct answer:

-------------- I still was able to get to the top of the mountain.

Even though unfit              

While ever out of condition
Unfit as I am                       

Much as I`m unfit 

She managed to pull the horse up in spite of ________ a broken rein.

had                

have           

has         

having 

By the time they _________ at the concert, the tickets were sold out.

got through                

turned up                

filled in                         

applied to 

_________, I don`t want to spend the weekend with her.

When liking her company at work           

In spite to enjoy working with her
Much as I enjoy her company at work     

She is very good company while at work 

_________ longer do we perceive the only great threat to our security in the hostile maneuvers of foreign armies.

Not                

No                         

For                      

Any 

I think going for the weekend to the coast _________ be a good idea.

bound to                

mustn`t                     

would                        

should 

_______ he should have spent all the weekend preparing for his test, he in fact just lay in bed watching videos.

However             

Nevertheless          

Whereas                     

Despite 

I benefited a great deal _______ taking that online training course.

from                

with                 

off                  

for 

I can reassure you that everything _______ as quickly as possible.

will be dealt                    

will deal            

will be dealt with                  

will deal with 

Bob couldn't ______ a moustache to the photo of his Headmaster in the newspaper.

resist adding               

resist to add               

resist from adding               

resist for adding 

The more I get to know him, the _______ I like him.

most                

less                  

much                         

lesser 

You'd rather stay at home tonight, _______you?

wouldn't             

didn't                 

won't                     

hadn't 

 James is staying with _______ while he is in New York — their son, Nick Green, will then come back with James for a few weeks over here.

the Greens                 

Greens                   

the Green                  

Green 

Unfortunately, their house _______ while they were at the restaurant celebrating their anniversary.

got burgled           

went burgled             

had burgled       

burgled

Kevin'll do well in the job _______ he stays on the right side of the boss.

as far as              

as soon as               

as long as                

as well as 

I can't imagine any reason _______ he should have behaved in such an extraordinary way.

how              

for                   

that                     

why 

I had no difficulty _______ their house although they had said that people often did.

to find     

to finding                    

finding                     

for finding 

If you can win his attention _______ for you.

the so much better        

the better so much         

so much the better      

so the much better 

In such a plight _______ that we had no choice but to radio for help.

we ourselves found   

did we find ourselves     

we found ourselves   

did we ourselves find 

_______ you to change your mind about handing in your notice, we would be happy for you to stay with us.

If               

Should                     

Unless                 

Were 

He crept in _______ his parents should wake up.

lest            

unless      

otherwise                

whereby 

I find _______ very strange that Meena has not been promoted yet.

her             

it                

them              

that 

This time next week I won't be in a stuffy office, _______ on a beach in Spain.

I'll have lain                 

I'll lie             

I'll be lying                            

I'm lying 

They live about _______ from here.

an hour of drive                

a drive hour           

a drive of an hour               

an hour's drive 

The President resigned; the whiff of scandal remained _______

otherwise             

therefore                       

immediately                

nevertheless 

I take great exception _______ the implication that I was not telling the truth.

to               

against             

from              

with 

______ your house repainted every year?

Have you                    

Have you got             

Do you have                       

Have you been 

You must phone us as soon as you _______ home.

are getting                

get              

will get                  

will have got 

The old lady came near to _______ of pneumonia but to everyone's amazement she pulled through.

death                

die                

dying                

being dead 

He escaped by _______

the hair's breadth             

the breadth of a hair        

a breadth of a hair        

a hair's breadth 

No one wants to have extra homework tonight, _______?

don't he               

do they                    

don't they            

does he 

My daughter is planning to spend a year before university working in Australia, _______ seems to me to be a sensible idea.

that                    

which              

where                 

what 

Only on very rare occasions _______ an appearance before midday.

the old lady would make         

would make the old lady       

would the old lady make  

the old lady make would 

I'm sure he only said those things _______.

to my annoyance            

for annoying me         

to annoy me           

for annoy me 

In such a complex situation as this mistakes _______ happen occasionally.

are bound               

to  bound             

bound to     

bound to 

By the time you're my age, you _______ your mind.

will probably have changed            

would probably change        

will probably change  

are probably changing 

We were at a disadvantage _______ that we did not have a very good knowledge of the language the others were using.

by               

with             

in            

for 

I borrowed a _______ bike and went into town in the lunch break.

friend of my             

friend's of my             

friend's of mine        

friend of mine's 

Capital punishment was done _______ in Britain nearly half a century ago.

out for              

off by             

away with             

over from 

Thank you very much. I haven't been to _______ party for ages.

a so enjoyable      

the so enjoyable        

so enjoyable            

so enjoyable a