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Questions and Answers
Which of the following correctly identifies the construction of the past perfect tense?
Which of the following correctly identifies the construction of the past perfect tense?
In which situation would you correctly use the past perfect progressive tense?
In which situation would you correctly use the past perfect progressive tense?
Which of the following time markers can indicate a past perfect action?
Which of the following time markers can indicate a past perfect action?
How is the past participle of regular verbs formed?
How is the past participle of regular verbs formed?
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Which sentence correctly demonstrates the past perfect tense?
Which sentence correctly demonstrates the past perfect tense?
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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'?
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'?
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In the sentence 'He had been training for a marathon before he broke his ankle,' what does 'had been training' convey?
In the sentence 'He had been training for a marathon before he broke his ankle,' what does 'had been training' convey?
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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?
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?
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In 'I had been interviewing candidates all week before I found the right person for the job,' what does 'had been interviewing' signify?
In 'I had been interviewing candidates all week before I found the right person for the job,' what does 'had been interviewing' signify?
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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'?
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'?
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Flashcards
Past Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Tense
Formed using 'had' + past participle; indicates two past actions.
Past Participle
Past Participle
The form of a verb used in perfect tenses; regular verbs end in -ed.
Irregular Verbs
Irregular Verbs
Verbs that do not follow the regular -ed rule for past participle formation.
Past Perfect Progressive Tense
Past Perfect Progressive Tense
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Time Markers
Time Markers
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Past Perfect
Past Perfect
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Past Perfect Example
Past Perfect Example
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Past Perfect Progressive
Past Perfect Progressive
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Past Perfect Progressive Example
Past Perfect Progressive Example
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Incomplete Past Perfect Example
Incomplete Past Perfect Example
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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
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Past Perfect
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"My boss had left the office by the time I returned from a late lunch." ("Had left" happened before "returned")
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"He had been training for a marathon before he broke his ankle." ("Had been training" continued up until "broke")
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"Had you had dinner by the time your friends got to your house last night?" (Asking if "had dinner" happened before "got")
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Past Perfect Progressive
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"The students all turned in their homework this morning after the teacher had threatened to fail them yesterday." ("Had threatened" completed before "turned in")
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"I had been interviewing candidates all week before I found the right person for the job." ("Had been interviewing" continued up until "found")
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"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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Description
This quiz covers the formation and usage of the past perfect and past perfect progressive tenses in English. Learn how these tenses help convey actions completed at different times in the past. Test your understanding with various examples and time markers commonly associated with these tenses.