Definition: The Past Perfect describes an action that was completed before another action or time in the past. It shows “past in the past” — the earlier of two past events.
Formation: Type Affirmative Interrogative Negative All Verbs Subject + had + past participle Had + Subject + past participle? Subject + had not (hadn’t) + past participle
Examples: Subject Affirmative Interrogative Negative I I had finished. Had I finished? I hadn’t finished. She She had left. Had she left? She hadn’t left. They They had eaten. Had they eaten? They hadn’t eaten.
Uses: Use Example Action completed before another past action She had cooked dinner before he arrived. With “by the time” By the time we got there, the movie had started. In reported speech He said he had lost his keys. Third conditional If I had known, I would have helped. To show cause in the past She was upset because she had failed the test.
