The Past Perfect Tense

🔺The past perfect tense

We use the verb (had ) and ( the past participle) for the past perfect:
I had finished the work.
🔘We use the past perfect to talk about the past in conditions (أحوال وظروف), hypotheses (افتراضات) and wishes (أمنيات)
🔸I would have helped him if he had asked.
🔸It was very dangerous. What if you had got lost?
🔸I wish I hadn’t spent so much money last month.

🔺The past perfect continuous

The past perfect continuous is formed with( had been ) and (the -ING form of the verb):
I had been finishing the work
🔘We use the past perfect tense:
↔for something that started in the past and continued up to a given time in the past:
🔸When George died he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.
🔸She didn’t want to move. She had lived in Liverpool all her life.
We normally use the past perfect continuous for this:
🔸She didn’t want to move. She had been living in Liverpool all her life.
🔸Everything was wet. It had been raining for hours.
↔for something we had done several times up to a point in the past and continued to do after that point:
🔸He was a wonderful guitarist. He had been playing ever since he was a teenager.
🔸He had written three books and he was working on another one.
🔸I had been watching the programme every week, but I missed the last episode.
↔We often use a clause with since to show when something started in the past:
🔸They had been staying with us since the previous week.
🔸I was sorry when the factory closed. I had worked there since I left school.
🔸I had been watching that programme every week since it started, but I missed the last episode.
↔when we are reporting our experience and including up to the (then) present:
🔸My eighteenth birthday was the worst day I had ever had.
🔸I was pleased to meet George. I hadn’t met him before, even though I had met his wife several times.
↔for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of reporting:
🔸I couldn’t get into the house. I had lost my keys.
🔸Teresa wasn’t at home. She had gone shopping.
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  Put the verbs into the correct form (past perfect progressive).

We (sleep) for 12 hours when he woke us up.
They (wait) at the station for 90 minutes when the train finally arrived.
We (look for) her ring for two hours and then we found it in the bathroom.
I (not / walk) for a long time, when it suddenly began to rain.
How long (learn / she) English before she went to London?
Frank Sinatra caught the flu because he (sing) in the rain too long.
He (drive) less than an hour when he ran out of petrol.
They were very tired in the evening because they (help) on the farm all day.
I (not / work) all day; so I wasn't tired and went to the disco at night.
They (cycle) all day so their legs were sore in the evening.

Correct the verbs between ( ):

Julie (walk) for hours when she suddenly noticed that the sun was sinking in the sky. She (lose) track of time because she (think) about the most important decision she'd ever had to make in her life.

Past perfect simple and continuous:

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Peter was Sally's best friend. She(know) him all her life.
The children were wet because they(play) football in the rain.
We were very hungry because we(not / eat).
I was delighted when I found my keys. I(look) for them for hours.
She was exhausted because she(work) since eight o'clock that morning.
Everything was white because it(snow).score
The passengers were cross because the airline(lose) everyone's bags.
I(not / see) Jacob for several years, but I recognised him immediately.score

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