Page 33 - Grasp English B1+ (Grammar Book)

A Mysterious Case 5

Past perfect tense

See the structure of the past perfect simple tense below:

+ I/He/They had
been to the US.
- I/He/They hadn’t

? Had you/he/they been to the US?

We use had and then add the past participle form (V3) of the main verb to form a sentence in the
past perfect simple tense.

We use the past perfect simple to talk about completed actions that happened before a specific
time or another action in the past.
I had locked all the windows when the rainstorm started.
I recognised Fiona at first sight because we had met in Seattle a few months ago.

We also use the past perfect simple to express a period or continuance before a specific time or
another action in the past (only with non-continuous/stative verbs).
We had wanted to buy a house for years when we found this cheap one.
I had been a shy girl until I started high school.

We often use time expressions such as just, already, before, and for.
You had already left home when I called you.
I had just left home when you called me.
She had been an overweight person for many years when she got asthma.

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