Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect: Statement and Question Formation

For your reference, Table 3.13 summarizes the form of affirmative and negative statements, yes/no questions, and Wh- questions. Note that these sentences are used to demonstrate how to form the past perfect tense alone,

Past Perfect Continuous: Statement and Question Formation

Table 3.14 summarizes the form of affirmative and negative statements, yes/no questions, and Wh- questions. Note the conjugations for different subjects.

Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous demonstrates a situation or action that started in the past and continued to another point in the past (used with dynamic verbs), often used with since to indicate the point in time that the action started and for to indicate the period of time that the situation has been true. subject + had + been + present participle (verb + -ing). 1. I was financially prepared because I'd been saving money very carefully. (had + been + saving) 2. I had been working three jobs for the three years previous (before I moved). (had + been + working)

Read the sentence and choose which meaning is represented with the underlined verb and the context of the sentence. They had been outside the store for 10 minutes before it opened. Select one: a. Duration of past action until another point in the past (stative verb) b. Duration of past action until another point in the past (dynamic verb) c. Action completed (or not completed) before another action or time in the past

a. Duration of past action until another point in the past (stative verb) Explanation: The verb "had been" and the key words, "for 10 minutes", show the duration of a past action (been) until another point in the past (opened) with a stative verb (be). This is one meaning of the past perfect.

Imagine you want to present the past perfect in context for a class of EFL students. Choose the real-world context below that will best show the use of the past perfect. Select one: a. An account of the previous day's weather b. A fictional short story c. A resume

b. A fictional short story Explanation: The past perfect is often used in fictional writing when comparing older past events with more recent past events (e.g. "He walked slowly into the house. He had never been here before, and he wasn't sure if he would be welcome.")

Identify which underlined verb tense is an example of the past perfect continuous: Select one: a. I have been living in Thailand for 2 months. b. Before I moved here, I had been living in South Korea. c. I am living in a small town here in Thailand. d. Hopefully in the future, I will be living in another interesting country!

b. Before I moved here, I had been living in South Korea. Explanation: In this sentence, the verb "had been living" follows the rule of form for the past perfect continuous: Had + Been + Present Participle. It is also an example of an action that started in the past (living) and continued to another point in the past (moved), which is one meaning of the past perfect continuous.

Read the sentence and choose which meaning is represented with the underlined verb and the context of the sentence. How long had she been cooking before you got home? Select one: a. Duration of past action until another point in the past (stative verb) b. Duration of past action until another point in the past (dynamic verb) c. Action completed (or not completed) before another action or time in the past

b. Duration of past action until another point in the past (dynamic verb) Explanation: The verb "had been cooking" and the key words, "how long", show the duration of a past action (cooking) until another point in the past (got home) with a dynamic verb (cook). This is one meaning of the past perfect continuous.

Read the sentence and choose which meaning is represented with the underlined verb and the context of the sentence. I had been studying for five hours when the library closed. Select one: a. Duration of past action until another point in the past (stative verb) b. Duration of past action until another point in the past (dynamic verb) c. Action completed (or not completed) before another action or time in the past

b. Duration of past action until another point in the past (dynamic verb) Explanation: The verb "had been studying" and the key words, "for five hours", show the duration of a past action (studying) until another point in the past (library closed) with a dynamic verb (study). This is one meaning of the past perfect continuous.

One of the following sentences contains a mistake commonly made by people first learning the past perfect tense. Identify which underlined phrase is incorrect. Last night, we saw an opera. We had never saw an opera before. My friend had listened to a lot of opera music, but she had never been to one. Select one: a. saw b. had never saw c. had listened d. had never been

b. had never saw Explanation: In this sentence, the past participle is incorrect. It should be "seen" and not "saw". Many nonnative speakers make mistakes with irregular past participles.

Read the sentence and choose which meaning is represented with the underlined verb and the context of the sentence. She had never lived overseas before she taught English in Chile. Select one: a. Duration of past action until another point in the past (stative verb) b. Duration of past action until another point in the past (dynamic verb) c. Action completed (or not completed) before another action or time in the past

c. Action completed (or not completed) before another action or time in the past Explanation: The verb "had lived" and the key word, "never", show an action that did not happen (lived) before another time in the past (taught). This is one meaning of the past perfect.

Identify which underlined verb tense is an example of the past perfect continuous: Select one: a. I waited at the doctor's office for such a long time yesterday! b. I usually don't wait very long to see my doctor. c. By the time the nurse called my name, I had been waiting for an hour. d. I hope I won't be waiting that long the next time I see my doctor.

c. By the time the nurse called my name, I had been waiting for an hour. Explanation: In this sentence, the verb "had been waiting" follows the rule of form for the past perfect continuous: Had + Been + Present Participle. It is also an example of an action that started in the past (waiting) and continued to another point in the past (called), which is one meaning of the past perfect continuous.

Identify which underlined verb tense is an example of the past perfect: Select one: a. I have lived in Mexico for 3 years, and so many friends have visited me. b. My very close friends visited last week. c. We visited many tourist attractions. d. We saw so many places that I had never visited before.

d. We saw so many places that I had never visited before. Explanation: In this sentence, the verb "had visited" follows the rule of form for the past perfect: Had + Past Participle. It is also an example of an action that did or did not happen (visited) before another time or action (saw) in the past, which is one meaning of the past perfect.

Identify which underlined verb tense is an example of the past perfect: Select one: a. Who will you study with later today? b. What will you be studying? c. What have you studied so far? d. Where had you studied before you started this class?

d. Where had you studied before you started this class? Explanation: In this sentence, the verb "had studied" follows the rule of form for the past perfect: Had + Past Participle. It is also an example of an action that did or did not happen (studied) before another time or action (started) in the past, which is one meaning of the past perfect.

Past Perfect

describes something that happened or did not happen before another time in the past, an action that is not specified that often shows achievements, experience, or uncompleted actions relative to another point in the past (often used with ever, never, still, already, and yet). subject + had + past participle (verb + -ed or irregular form). 1. I took the Metro to the tourist apartment I had rented online. (had + rented) 2. They informed me that they would not be able to complete visa paperwork for me (they had tried to get work visas for Americans many times before, with no luck). (had + tried) 3. I had always thought that getting work visas to teach English would be easy, but I saw that I had a difficult decision to make. (had + thought)