Past Perfect

Past Perfect

Past Perfect for action that happened first

I decided to make the series because I had seen an article in the newspaper.

By the time she got up the next day, the weather had changed.

When I turned on the TV, the programme started (almost immediately).

When I turned on the TV, the programme had started.

Case where Past Perfect don’t be used:

If the order is clear:

We had dinner, watched TV, and then went to bed.

With before and after:

We finished eating before they arrived.

He went home after the meeting finished.

The Titanic had sunk the day before she arrived in France.

They had already arrived when he got home.

I had not heard any of the women before.

What had he done before you met him.

Past Perfect after: realized, though, forgot, and remembered:

I realized I had only learnt about the men at school.

By the time, when, because, so, before, after, and as soon as:

The party had finished by the time he arrived.

The train left.

They arrived at the station.

When they arrived at the station, the train had left.

I went to the cinema.

I heard about the film.

I hadn’t heard about the film until I got to the cinema.

He got home.

I made dinner.

As soon as he got home, I made dinner.

She learned 3 languages.

She became 18.

By the time she was 18, she had already learnt 3 languages.

Lisa left university.

Lisa got a job.

When Lisa left university she got a job as a tourist guide.

We had arranged to meet at 8 but my sister had to work late.

We had already got the ticket, so we went to the theater anyway.

I hadn’t heard the director before but we really enjoyed the play.

After the theater we went to a French restaurant I had been to before.

As soon as we sat down I realized I had forgotten my credit card.

I had never met Tracy before but we got on very well.

By the time my sister arrived, Tracy and I had arranged to meet again.

Luckily my sister hadn’t forgotten her CC so she paid for my meal.

I went to the shop for some bread, but they had sold out.

The meeting has finished by the time I got there.

I invited Tim to dinner, but he had already arranged do something else.

When I got to the airport, I realized I had forgotten my passport.

She asked me to go to Spain with her, but I had already booked a holiday in Italy.

I saw him when I was in town. I had not seen him for 10 years.

On March 1^st 2002; A, B, and C flew from England to Canada to walk to the North Pole.

They were all experienced explorer and they had already walked to the South Pole two years earlier.

By the time they left the UK, they had trained for months with British Army and they had put on 16 kilos in weigh.

However, as soon as they set off, they started having problems because of bad weather and temperature of – 50 degree C.

A soon got frostbite and by day 47 her feet became so painful that she couldn’t continue.

By the time B and C arrived at the North Pole they had walked 750 miles in 81 days.

When they arrived back in England, they received a hero’s welcome.

No other women had ever walked to the North Pole before.