Freeway beginner / Grammar / Tenses Active / Perfect Group / Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense

1. Make sentences from the box.

A	B because I had because I hadn’t	C
1. I couldn’t answer the questions		crashed his car.
I was hungry		passed my driving test.
My mother was worried		got stuck in a traffic jam.
I was late		flown in a plane before.
I was pleased		slept badly.
I was nervous during the flight		revised for the exam.
My father was furious		been in touch for a long time.
I was tired		eaten all day.

2. Join these pairs of sentences, using the conjunctions in brackets. Change one verb into the Past Perfect (I had done).

Model: I had a bath, I went to bed. (after) – After I’d had a bath, I went to bed.

1. I read the letter. I threw it away. (when)

2. He passed his driving test, he bought a car. (as soon as)

3. I took the book back to the library. I finished reading it. (when)

4. I didn’t go to bed. I did my homework. (until)

5. I spent all my money. I went home. (when)

6. I read the book. I saw the film. (before)

7. Her children left home. She started writing. (after)

3. Supply the Past Perfect (I had done) / Past Simple (I did).

1. They had locked the gates before I got there. (to lock / to get)

2. By the time we ………….., the party …………… (to arrive / to finish)

3. I ……………the shop as soon as I ……………the contents of the box. (to ring / to check)

4. After we ……………it on the phone, I ……….him a letter about it. (to discuss / to write)

5. We ……………a good rest when our guests ……………(to have / all leave)

6. When she ……….the office this morning, Jim……………(to ring / already / to go out)

7. Before we ……………Tim to the theater, he ………a stage play before. (to take / never / to see)

8. I ………the carpet when the dog ……....in and ……….himself. (just / clean / to come / to shake)

9. He ………...to do the job in an hour, but he still ………….by 10 o’clock. (to promise / not / to finish)

4. Open the brackets using the verbs in Past Simple (I did) / Past Continuous (I was doing) / Past Perfect (I had done)

1. Gerry (to be) at home when you arrived? – No, he (to go) on a date.

2. By 8 p.m. the boss (to sign) the documents and by 8 p.m. the secretary (to make) a report.

3. When he (to see) me, I (to read) the newspaper which I (to buy) in the street.

4. Beth just (to go home) when I (to phone) her.

5. When Alison (to enter) the house she (to see) that her son (to play) with a ball she (to buy) in the shop.

6. They (to arrive) to the theater late. The play already (to begin).

7. When I (to come) in the hall, they (to unpack) the clothes they (to receive) from their foreign friends.

8. Her brother (to be) taken to hospital because he (to have) a car accident.

5. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Вона хотіла повернутися в місто, де провела своє дитинство. 2. Коли я визирнув у вікно, я побачив, що в небі яскраво світить сонце, а дощ припинився. 3. Коли ми прибули на вокзал, поїзд уже поїхав. 4. Не встигли ми зайти до магазину, як до нас підбіг продавець. 5. Моя подруга почувалася погано, тому що отримала сонячний опік. 6. Коли він був молодим, то брав участь у футбольних матчах. 7. Щойно ми переїхали до нового будинку, як до нас завітали сусіди. 8. Коли вона виступала на зборах, хтось шепотів у залі. 9. Охоронець не впізнав людини, яка пограбувала банк.

6. Make up five types of questions to the following sentences.

1. She had forgotten me by then. 2. I had never ridden a horse before. 3. By that time lots of things had changed. 4. He had never had such an expensive car before. 5. Hardly had he seen her, he fell in love with her. 6. We had studied German before we went to Berlin. 7. I told I had met her. 8. They had finished the construction by the end of the month.

7. Open the brackets using Past Indefinite (I did) / Past Perfect (I had done).

I can’t believe I (get) that apartment. I (submit) my application last week, but I didn’t think I had a chance of actually getting it. When I (show) up to take a look around, there were at least twenty other people who (arrive) before me. Most of them (fill, already) out their applications and were already leaving. The landlord said I could still apply, so I did.

I (try) to fill out the form, but I couldn’t answer half of the questions. They (want) me to include references, but I didn’t want to list my previous landlord because I (have) some problems with him in the past and I knew he wouldn’t recommend me. I (end) up listing my father as a reference.

It was total luck that he (decide) to give me the apartment. It turns out that the landlord and my father (go) to high school together. He decided that I could have the apartment before he (look) at my credit report. I really lucked out!

7. Open the brackets using Past Simple (I did) / Present Perfect (I have done) / Past Perfect (I had done)

1. When I (arrive) home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare) a beautiful candlelight dinner. 2. Since I began acting, I (perform) in two plays, a television commercial and a TV drama. However, I (speak, never even) publicly before I came to Hollywood in 1985. 3. By the time I got to the office, the meeting (begin, already) without me. My boss (be) furious with me and I (be) fired.4. When I (turn) the radio on yesterday, I (hear) a song that was popular when I was in high school. I (hear, not) the song in years, and it (bring) back some great memories. 5. Last week, I (run) into an ex-girlfriend of mine. We (see, not) each other in years, and both of us (change) a great deal. I (enjoy) talking to her so much that I (ask) her out on a date. We are getting together tonight for dinner. 6. When Jack (enter) the room, I (recognize, not) him because he (lose) so much weight and (grow) a beard. He looked totally different! 7. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan; however, their culture (disappear, virtually) by the time Europeans first (arrive) in the New World. 8. I (visit) so many beautiful places since I (come) to Utah. Before moving here, I (hear, never) of Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, or Canyon lands.

Revision Test on Past Perfect

Choose the right answer.

1. I was sure that I _________ her before.

a) had saw b) seen c) had seen

2. I needed to know what ___________ to my dog.

a) has happened b) had happened c) happened

3. The film ____________ by the time we got to the cinema.

a) had start b) had started c) has started

4. Julia left the restaurant after she ________ eating.

a) had finished b) has finished c) finished

5. I went to bed after I __________ off the television.

a) switched b) has switched c) had switched

6. By the time we ________, everyone had left.

a) arrived b) had arrived c) was arriving

7. I _________ a long time ago.

a) finished b) had finished c) has finished

8. By that time, everybody _________ exhausted.

a) was b) had been c) will have been

9. She told me she _________ it ages ago.

a) did b) had done c) have been doing

10. I ________ of it until you mentioned it.

a) didn’t hear b) hadn’t heard c) haven’t heard