The past perfect

The Past Perfect is formed by means of the Past Indefinite of the auxiliary verb “to have” (had) and Participle II of the notional verb. In the interrogative form the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject. In the negative form the negative particle “not” is placed after the auxiliary verb.

I had worked. She had worked.

Had I worked? Had she worked?

I had not worked. She had not worked.

The contracted forms:

I’d worked She’d worked

I hadn’t worked She hadn’t worked

The negative-interrogative forms:

Had he not written? = Hadn’t he written?

Had you not written? = Hadn’t you written?

The use of the past perfect

1.We use the Past Perfect to denote an action completed before the certain moment in the past, which is indicated by:

a)another past action expressed by a verb in the Past Indefinite:

After she had cried out she felt easier.

b)an adverbial phrase:

By this time Mark had written his friend a letter to see him.

c)the definite moment, which is understood from the situation:

It was long afterwards that I found out what had happened.

She was no fool. She had read much in several language.

2. It is used to express an action in the Present Perfect tense viewed from the past in the Sequence of tenses:

She said “I have already read ten pages” - She said she had already read ten pages.

3. The Past Perfect is frequently used with adverbs just, already, yet.

He announced that he had just translated this article.

Note! Such adverbs as “just” and “already” show that the earlier action was recent or earlier than expected:

We wanted to talk to the babysitter but she had just left.

4.The Past Perfect is used to express an action which began before a given past moment and continued into it or up to it:

a)with stative verbs where its use is compulsory:

She began to do all the things that she had wanted to do for years.

b)with some dynamic verbs of durative meaning where Past Perfect may be used instead of Past Perfect Continuous with little difference in meaning:

He mentioned that he had dined at home since he returned. (a permanent action)

c) in negative sentences (the action itself is completely negated):

He mentioned that he had not played cards for three years.

5. It is used in adverbial clauses of time introduced by the conjunctions “when, before, as soon as, till/until” to express a future action viewed from the past. It shows that the action of the subordinate clause will be completed before the action of the principle clause which is usually expressed by the Future-in-the –Past.

You would have to talk to him before he had made up his mind.

6. It is used to show the unreal action:

a) I wish I had seen the procession. (wish-clause)

b) If I had known it I should have told you about it. (Type 3)

7. In a complex sentence with a subordinate clause of time introduced by the conjunctions scarcely … when, hardly … when, barely … when, nearly … when, no sooner … than the time relation between the two actions is of specific character – the action of the subordinate clause takes place when the action of the principal clause is hardly accomplished yet. The Past Perfect tense is found in the principal clause and the Past Simple in the subordinate clause.

a)I had hardly come home, when the phone rang.(non-emphatic)

Such sentences are emphatic in meaning and scarcely, hardly, barely, nearly, no sooner may be placed at the head of the sentence with the inverted word order following:

b)Hardly had I come home, when the phone rang.(emphatic)