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British English accents and dialects — article cover image
  • Grammar
  • B1

Past Perfect Tense in English

Past perfect tense is used to show an action happens before another in the past.

In this lesson, you’ll learn when and how to use this tense and practise using it.

When and how to use the past perfect tense?

Usage

  • To show that one action happened before the other in the past.

Structure

  • Had + (not) + past participle verb

Past perfect tense shows the earliest action, other actions that happen after use the past simple tense.

Examples

1. When I got to the shop I realised I had left my purse at home.
2. The thief had broken into our house and took all our things.
3. She had a bad day because she had forgotten her keys.

Practise

Fill the gaps with the past perfect verb form.

Common mistakes learners make

  • Using past simple for the earlier action
  • Overusing the past perfect form in the same sentence
  • Forgetting the past participle verb form

Common mistakes learners make

  • Using past simple for the earlier action
  • Overusing the past perfect form in the same sentence
  • Forgetting the past participle verb form
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