Данная видо-временная форма может выражать:

1. действие, которое происходило в определенный момент в прошлом. Этот прошедший момент может быть указан с помощью другого действия в форме Past Simple или же обстоятельством времени.

You were sleeping when I left.

She was having tea at five o'clock yesterday.

2. действие, занимающее некоторый период времени в прошлом.

When I met Helen in the street she told me that she was studying at University.

I knew that she was writing a new novel.

3. характеристики человека в эмоционально окрашенной речи.

This dealer was always talking about money!

Whenever I met Peter, he was constantly talking about his car.

When I was a kid, my mother was hiding sweets from me all the time!

4. необычное, нехарактерное для человека состояние, поведение в определенный момент в прошлом. В этом значении, как правило, употребляются глаголы, обычно не имеющие формы продолженного времени (Continuous): be, look, feel, see, hear, etc.

He was happy as his wife was feeling better now. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing.

We couldn't understand why he was being so rude to us.

She was looking great in the new hat.

5. действия в процессе в придаточных предложениях с союзом while. В главном предложении, как правило, употребляется Past Simple.

She watched TV while the children were playing in the garden.

While Nancy was cooking dinner, her husband read the letter.

Краткая теоретическая информация

PAST PERFECT

(Прошедшее завершённое)

Утвердительная форма
I We You They She He	had V3		I had gone (walked) We had gone (walked) You had gone (walked)
Отрицательная форма
I We You They She He	had not (hadn’t)	V3	I had not gone (walked) They hadn’t gone (walked)

Вопросительные конструкции:
Общий вопрос	Альтернативный вопрос	Разделительный вопрос	Специальный вопрос
Had they signed all the documents before you arrived?	Had they signed all the documents before you arrived or not?	They had signed all the documents before your arrival, hadn’t they?	Who had signed all the documents before your arrival?

Указатели времени:

by 7 o’clock, by the 15^th of June, by the end of the week (month, year), before.

Данная видо-временная форма употребляется:

1. для выражения действия, которое закончилось до определенного момента в прошлом. Этот момент может быть обозначен обстоятельством прошедшего времени или другим действием в прошлом.

Краткая теоретическая информация

Matilda had finished reading the book by 9 o'clock (by that time, by Saturday).

Yuri had done the work by the time his parents returned.

They had finished the project by the end of the year.

2. с глаголами, не имеющими формы продолженного времени, для выражения действия, которое началось до определенного момента в прошлом и все еще было в процессе в этот момент.

Не told me he had been badly ill since he returned from the South.

I knew that they hadn't seen each other for many years.

He realized he had been in love with her for a long time.

They had owned the house for twenty years when they decided to sell it.

3. для выражения двух прошедших действий, одно из которых находится в процессе, а второе завершилось к началу первого действия.

The sky had cleared and the moon was shining on the snow.

Rita had done the work and was speaking on the telephone.

4. в сложноподчиненных предложениях с придаточными времени, вводимыми союзами: scarcely ... when, hardly ... when, no sooner ... than («не успел ... как», «едва ... как»).

Обратите внимание на порядок слов: глагол had предшествует подлежащему для создания стилистического эффекта.

Hardly had the children got out of the house, when they saw a stranger in the yard.

No sooner had Mary entered the garden, than she saw a beautiful bird.

Scarcely had the spy left the pub, when the policemen caught him.

Краткая теоретическая информация

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS