Past Perfect and Past Perfect Progressive Tense

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Questions and Answers

Which of the following correctly identifies the construction of the past perfect tense?

  • Had plus the gerund form of the verb.
  • Had plus the past participle of the verb. (correct)
  • Was plus the past participle of the verb.
  • Had plus the present participle of the verb.

In which situation would you correctly use the past perfect progressive tense?

  • To emphasize the most recent action in a past sequence.
  • To indicate a continuing action that was happening up to another past action. (correct)
  • To describe a completed action that happened before another action in the past.
  • To show two completed actions occurring at the same time.

Which of the following time markers can indicate a past perfect action?

  • Since
  • Now
  • During
  • After (correct)

How is the past participle of regular verbs formed?

<p>By adding -ed to the base form. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which sentence correctly demonstrates the past perfect tense?

<p>They had left the party when it started to rain. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is indicated by the phrase 'had left' in the sentence 'My boss had left the office by the time I returned from a late lunch'?

<p>The boss left before the speaker returned. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the sentence 'He had been training for a marathon before he broke his ankle,' what does 'had been training' convey?

<p>The training continued right up until he broke his ankle. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the question 'Had you had dinner by the time your friends got to your house last night?' imply about the timing of dinner?

<p>Dinner was finished before the friends' arrival. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In 'I had been interviewing candidates all week before I found the right person for the job,' what does 'had been interviewing' signify?

<p>Interviews were ongoing until the right candidate was found. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does 'hadn't told' suggest in the sentence 'My best friend hadn't told me her big news before I saw it on social media'?

<p>The friend failed to provide information after it was public. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Past Perfect Tense

Formed using 'had' + past participle; indicates two past actions.

Past Participle

The form of a verb used in perfect tenses; regular verbs end in -ed.

Irregular Verbs

Verbs that do not follow the regular -ed rule for past participle formation.

Past Perfect Progressive Tense

Formed with 'had been' + -ing verb; shows ongoing action before another past action.

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Time Markers

Words that indicate timing in past perfect; include 'by the time,' 'when,' and 'before.'

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Past Perfect

A verb tense used to indicate an action completed before another action in the past.

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Past Perfect Example

"My boss had left the office by the time I returned from a late lunch."

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Past Perfect Progressive

A verb tense indicating an ongoing action that was happening before another past action.

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Past Perfect Progressive Example

"I had been interviewing candidates all week before I found the right person for the job."

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Incomplete Past Perfect Example

"My best friend hadn't told me her big news before I saw it on social media."

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Study Notes

Past Perfect Tense

  • Formed by using the auxiliary verb "had" plus the past participle form of the verb.
  • Past participle of regular verbs is created by adding -ed.
  • Past participle of irregular verbs undergoes various changes to the middle or ending of the verb.
  • Used for two completed actions that occur at different times in the past.
  • The past perfect tense is used for the action that is further in the past, and the simple past is used for the action that is more recent.
  • Common time markers include "by the time," "when," "before," and "after".

Past Perfect Progressive Tense

  • Formed by using the pattern “had” plus “been” plus an -ing verb (present participle).
  • Also known as the past perfect continuous.
  • Shows two actions that occur in the past, where the first action continues to the second past action.
  • Past perfect progressive is used for the continuing past action, and the simple past is used for the more recent, completed action.
  • Common time markers include "by the time," "when," "before," and "after."
  • Additional time markers like "for," "since," and "all" are typically used to show a continuing action.

Time Markers

  • Main time markers for both tenses are similar, but additional, optional time markers can distinguish them.
  • Time markers appear at the beginning of the clause with the simple past verb.
  • The time marker "after" appears at the beginning of the clause with the past perfect verb (or less commonly, the past perfect progressive verb) – not the clause with the simple past.

Examples

  • Past Perfect

  • "My boss had left the office by the time I returned from a late lunch." ("Had left" happened before "returned")

  • "He had been training for a marathon before he broke his ankle." ("Had been training" continued up until "broke")

  • "Had you had dinner by the time your friends got to your house last night?" (Asking if "had dinner" happened before "got")

  • Past Perfect Progressive

  • "The students all turned in their homework this morning after the teacher had threatened to fail them yesterday." ("Had threatened" completed before "turned in")

  • "I had been interviewing candidates all week before I found the right person for the job." ("Had been interviewing" continued up until "found")

  • "My best friend hadn't told me her big news before I saw it on social media." ("Hadn't told" is in the past, but did not happen; its timing is still before "saw")

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