Before
the
Past:
The
Past
Perfect
Simple
and
Past
Perfect
Continuous
Language
gives
us
the
power
not
only
to
speak
of
the
past,
but
to
go
deeper
into
it
—
to
describe
what
had
already
happened
before
another
event
in
the
past.
This
is
the
purpose
of
the
Past
Perfect
.
Sometimes
we
want
to
express
that
something
was
already
finished
before
another
moment
in
the
past.
Other
times,
we
want
to
emphasize
that
something
had
been
happening
for
some
time
before
a
past
event.
For
this,
English
ofers
two
related
but
distinct
tools:
●
The
Past
Perfect
Simple
●
The
Past
Perfect
Continuous
Let
us
study
how
they
work,
when
to
use
them,
and
how
to
master
their
subtle
diferences.
The
Past
Perfect
Simple
A.
Definition
The
Past
Perfect
Simple
describes
an
action
that
was
completed
before
another
action
or
time
in
the
past.
It
gives
us
a
clear
sequence
of
two
past
actions:
1.
One
happened
first
→
Past
Perfect
2.
The
other
happened
later
→
Past
Simple
B.
Structure
Formula
(Afrmative):
[Subject]
+
had
+
past
participle
Subject
Verb
(past
participle)
I
/
You
/
He
/
She
/
We
/
They
eaten,
gone,
seen,
finished,
etc.
Formula
(Negative):
[Subject]
+
had
not
(hadn’t)
+
past
participle
Formula
(Question):
Had
+
[subject]
+
past
participle?
C.
Examples
●
She
had
left
before
I
arrived.
●
We
had
finished
dinner
when
they
called.
●
I
had
never
seen
that
movie
before
yesterday.
●
Had
you
studied
French
before
moving
to
Paris?
●
He
had
not
told
anyone
the
secret.
D.
Common
Time
Expressions
Expression
Use
before
She
had
left
before
I
arrived.
after
After
he
had
eaten,
he
went
out.
by
the
time
By
the
time
we
arrived,
they
had
gone.
already
/
just
/
never
He
had
already
left.
when
(past
reference)
When
I
got
there,
they
had
gone.
The
Past
Perfect
Continuous
A.
Definition
The
Past
Perfect
Continuous
(also
called
Past
Perfect
Progressive)
emphasizes
the
duration
of
an
action
that
was
ongoing
before
another
past
event
,
and
possibly
up
to
that
moment.
It
is
used
to
show
what
had
been
happening
,
especially
when
we
want
to
highlight
the
process
,
the
length
,
or
the
efect
of
the
activity.
B.
Structure
Formula
(Afrmative):
[Subject]
+
had
been
+
verb(-ing)
Subject
Auxiliar
y
Present
Participle
All
subjects
had
been
doing,
working,
waiting,
etc.
Formula
(Negative):
[Subject]
+
had
not
been
+
verb(-ing)
Formula
(Question):
Had
+
[subject]
+
been
+
verb(-ing)?
C.
Example
●
I
had
been
working
all
day
before
I
took
a
break.
●
They
had
been
waiting
for
over
an
hour
when
the
bus
arrived.
●
She
had
not
been
feeling
well,
so
she
stayed
home.
●
Had
you
been
studying
before
the
test?
D.
Common
Time
Expressions
Expression
Example
for
+
duration
He
had
been
reading
for
two
hours
.
since
+
point
in
time
She
had
been
working
there
since
2015
.
when
/
before
/
until
I
had
been
running
when
it
started
to
rain.
all
day
/
all
night
/
recently
They
had
been
arguing
all
night
.
Comparing
the
Two:
Simple
vs.
Continuous
Past
Perfect
Simple
Past
Perfect
Continuous
Focus
on
the
completion
of
an
action
Focus
on
the
duration/process
of
an
action
What
had
happened
How
long
something
had
been
happening
He
had
written
the
book.
He
had
been
writing
the
book
for
months.
I
had
finished
my
homework.
I
had
been
doing
my
homework
for
two
hours.
Classic
Sentence
Structures
A.
Action
before
another
past
event:
●
She
had
cooked
dinner
before
he
arrived.
(simple:
completed)
●
She
had
been
cooking
for
hours
before
he
arrived.
(continuous:
process)
B.
Reason
or
cause
in
the
past:
●
He
was
tired
because
he
had
worked
all
day.
(focus:
result)
●
He
was
tired
because
he
had
been
working
all
day.
(focus:
efort/duration)
Both
are
possible;
the
diference
lies
in
emphasis
.
Common
Mistakes
to
Avoid
Incorrect
Correct
Explanation
I
had
went
to
the
store.
I
had
gone
to
the
store.
Use
past
participle
(not
past
simple).
She
had
been
cry.
She
had
been
crying
.
Use
the
present
participle
(-ing).
Had
you
saw
the
movie?
Had
you
seen
the
movie?
Use
past
participle:
seen,
not
saw.
We
had
been
to
waiting
long.
We
had
been
waiting
long.
No
“to”
after
“been.”
He
had
been
works
there.
He
had
been
working
there.
Use
verb
+
-ing.
Practice
Exercises
A.
Complete
with
Past
Perfect
Simple
or
Continuous:
1.
When
she
arrived,
we
__________________
(already
/
leave).
2.
They
__________________
(study)
for
hours
before
the
test.
3.
He
__________________
(not
eat)
all
day.
4.
We
__________________
(walk)
for
miles
before
we
found
shelter.
5.
I
__________________
(read)
that
book
before.
B.
Choose
the
correct
answer:
1.
By
the
time
we
got
there,
they
___.
a)
left
b)
had
left
c)
have
left
d)
were
leaving
2.
She
was
tired
because
she
___
all
night.
a)
had
studied
b)
studied
c)
had
been
studying
d)
has
studied
3.
___
he
___
when
you
called?
a)
Did
/
sleep
b)
Was
/
sleeping
c)
Had
/
slept
d)
Had
/
been
sleeping
Answer
Key
A.
1.
had
already
left
2.
had
been
studying
3.
had
not
eaten
4.
had
been
walking
5.
had
read
B.
1.
b)
had
left
2.
c)
had
been
studying
3.
d)
Had
/
been
sleeping
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