Perfect means ‘before,’ so Past Perfect refers to an action in the past that was completed before another action in the past.
USE:
1. The Past Perfect is used to make clear that one action in the past happened before another action in the past.
When I got home, I found that someone had broken into my apartment and had stolen my DVD player, so I called the police.
Action 1: Someone broke into my apartment and stole my DVD player.
Action 2: I got home and called the police.
I didn’t want to go to the theatre with my friends because I’d seen the play before.
Action 1: I saw the play.
Action 2: My friends went to the theatre to see the play.
2. Notice the difference between the following sentences.
When I got to the party, Peter went home. /First I arrived, then Peter left./
When I got to the party, Peter had gonehome. /First Peter left, then I arrived./
FORM:
The form of the Pas tPerfect is the same for all persons.
Positive and negative
You ‘d/ had seenhimbefore.
We hadn’t finished work at 6 o’clock.
etc.
Question
Where had you/she/they/etc. been before?
Past Perfect in the passive
USE:
The use is the same in the passive as in the active.
The letter didn’t arrive because it had been sent to my old address. /one action before another action in thepast/
FORM:
had been+pastparticiple
Použitá literatúra:
1. New Headway, theThirdedition, Intermediate, Student’s Book, John and Liz Soars, Oxford University Press, 20032. New Headway, the Third edition, Intermediate, Teacher’s Book, Liz and John Soars, Mike Sayer, Oxford University Press, 2003