The Past Perfect Simple

The Past Perfect Simple

I.     Form

(+) S+had+V-ed/III.

(-) S+hadnt+V-ed/III.

(?) Had+S+V-ed/III?

II.        Use

1. Past action that took place before a past moment or before another action in the past.

e.g. The boy explained that he had seen somebody in the garden.

2. Duration up to a certain moment in the past.

e.g. By the time the rain started, we had dug the whole garden.

Action finished a little time before another past action.

[Just, already, hardly, barely, scarcely , no sooner]

e.g. Mary told us that her brother has just left.

4. With since and for when the point of reference is past:

e.g. In 1980 I had been a teacher for ten years.

I knew she had not seen him since Christmas.

5. In indirect speech

e.g. I saw this film last week, Nick said.

Nick said he had seen that movie a week before.

6. To express a Past Conditional

e.g. If only I hadnt lied to her!

7. Unfulfilled wish:

e.g. I wish I had not missed the train.

8. After had rather, would rather, as if, as though:

e.g. Yesterday Id rather you had stayed here than gone there.

9. To express a future action that takes place before by another action expressed by a

Future in the Past:

e.g. I told my friend that I would lend him the book after I had read it

III. Final notes

1) The use of when, before, now that, as soon as, after in some of the sentences containing a  

Past Perfect:

e.g. Dick had done his homework before his father came home.

2.) The past perfect is used after when when we wish to emphasize that the first action was

completed before the second one started.:

e.g. When he had shut the window we opened the door of the cage.