Сравнение Past Perfect и Past Perfect Continuous. 1. Когда мы используем паст перфект, нам важно показать завершенность действия, то есть его результат. Паст Перфект Континиус, в отличие от Паст Перфект, показывает длительность процесса при совершении действия в прошлом. Результат нам не важен или не известен.
Past Perfect Tense
I had sung
The past perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and to use. This tense
talks about the "past in the past".
How do we make the Past Perfect Tense?
The structure of the past perfect tense is:
subject + auxiliary verb HAD + main verb
For negative sentences in the past perfect tense, we insert not between the
auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and
auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past perfect tense:
subject
I
You
She
We
auxiliary
verb
had
had
had
had
not
not
main verb
finished
stopped
gone
left.
+
my work.
before me.
to school.
auxiliary
verb
Had
Had
?
subject
main verb
he
they
arrived?
eaten
dinner?
When speaking with the past perfect tense, we often contract the subject and
auxiliary verb:
I had been
You had been
He had been
She had been
It had been
We had been
They had been
I'd been
You'd been
He'd been
She'd been
It'd been
We'd been
They'dbeen
The 'd contraction is also used for the auxiliary verb would. For example, we'd
can mean:
∙ We had
∙ We would
But usually the main verb is in a different form, for example:∙ We had arrived (past participle)
∙ We would arrive (base)
It is always clear from the context.
How do we use the Past Perfect Tense?
The past perfect tense expresses action in the past before another action in the
past. This is the past in the past. For example:
∙ The train left at 9am. We arrived at 9.15am. When we arrived, the train had left.
The train had left when we arrived.
present
future
past
x
Train leaves in past at 9am.
We arrive in past at 9.15am.
Look at some more examples:
I wasn't hungry. I had just eaten.
They were hungry. They had not eaten for five hours.
I didn't know who he was. I had never seen him before.
"Mary wasn't at home when I arrived."
"Really? Where had she gone?"
You can sometimes think of the past perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but
instead of the time being now the time is past.
For example, imagine that you arrive at the station at 9.15am. The stationmaster
says to you:
"You are too late. The train has left."
Later, you tell your friends:
"We were too late. The train had left."
We often use the past perfect tense in reported speech after verbs like said, told,
asked, thought, wondered.
Look at these examples:
He told us that the train had left.
I thought I had met her before, but I was wrong.
He explained that he had closed the window because of the rain.
I wondered if I had been there before.
I asked them why they had not finished.Past perfect tense exercises
Exercise 1: Join the sentences with expressions in brackets.
Example: They graduated. They got married. (as soon as)
They got married as soon as they had graduated.
They entered the restaurant. They were served. (after)
............................................................................
............................................................................
I didn't use my credit card. I lost it. (because)
............................................................................
............................................................................
They didn't tell me. Easyjet cancelled
the flight. (that)
............................................................................
............................................................................
I couldn't go out. I broke my leg. (because)
............................................................................
............................................................................
He took up a job. He left school. (as soon as)
............................................................................
............................................................................
She fell in love with him. They met in Cork.
(after)
............................................................................
............................................................................
Exercise 2: Answer the questions and use the words in brackets.
Example: Why did he call you? (because just arrived)
He called me because he had just arrived.
When did they return? (after travel for two weeks)
............................................................................
............................................................................
Why didn't he eat anything? (because have lunch)
............................................................................
............................................................................
What did he tell her? (that see her before)
............................................................................
............................................................................
When did they land? (when the storm ended)............................................................................
............................................................................
Why was he so dirty? (because dig the hole in the rain)
............................................................................
............................................................................
What did you forget? (that want to buy some bread)
............................................................................
............................................................................
I had been singing
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
How do we make the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?
The structure of the past perfect continuous tense is:
subject + auxiliary verb HAVE + auxiliary verb BE + main verb
For negative sentences in the past perfect continuous tense, we insert not after the
first auxiliary verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and first
auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the past perfect continuous
tense:
subject
auxiliary
auxiliary
main verb
I
You
She
We
verb
had
had
had
had
not
not
verb
been
been
been
been
working.
playing
expecting
working
tennis.
her.
well.
auxiliary
subject
auxiliary verb
main verb
verb
Had
Had
he
they
been
been
drinking?
waiting
long?
+
?
When speaking with the past perfect continuous tense, we often contract the
subject and first auxiliary verb:
I had been
You had been
He had been
She had been
It had been
We had been
I'd been
You'd been
He'd been
She'd been
It'd been
We'd beenThey had been
They'dbeen
How do we use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?
The past perfect continuous tense is like the past perfect tense, but it expresses
longer actions in the past before another action in the past. For example:
Ram started waiting at 9am. I arrived at 11am. When I arrived, Ram had been
waiting for two hours.
Ram had been waiting for two hours when I arrived.
past
9x(11)
Ram starts waiting in past at
9am.
I arrive in past at 11am.
present
future
Here are some more examples:
∙ John was very tired. He had been running.
∙ I could smell cigarettes. Somebody had been smoking.
∙ Suddenly, my car broke down. I was not surprised. It had not been running well
for a long time.
∙ Had the pilot been drinking before the crash?
Past perfect continuous exercises
Exercise 1: Put the verbs into the correct form (past perfect continuous).
They (wait) ___________________ at the station for 90 minutes when the
I (not / walk) ___________________ for a long time, when it suddenly
1. We (sleep) ___________________ for 12 hours when he woke us up.
2.
train finally arrived.
3. We (look for) ___________________ her ring for two hours and then we
found it in the bathroom.
4.
began to rain.
5.
London?
6.
rain too long.
7.
petrol.
He (drive) ___________________ less than an hour when he ran out of
How long (learn / she) ___________________ English before she went to
Frank Sinatra caught the flu because he (sing) ___________________ in theI (not / work) ___________________ all day; so I wasn't tired and went to
They were very tired in the evening because they (help)
8.
___________________ on the farm all day.
9.
the disco at night.
10.
evening.
They (cycle) ___________________ all day so their legs were sore in the
Exercise 2: Put the verbs into the correct form (past perfect continuous).
My brother and I (fight) ___________________ for weeks before my
___________________ (wait, you) for long before your friend finally
___________________ (call, your parents) you for long before you
I finally passed my driving test last week. I (take) ___________________
The coffee shop in front of the university (struggle) ___________________
She (wear) ___________________ new clothes all week; however, no one
China (hope) ___________________ to win the bid for the Olympics for a
I (not, study) ___________________ English for long before I realized that I
1. We (fish) ___________________ unsuccessfully for two days, but my
brother finally caught a large salmon.
2.
noticed. She was very sad.
3. We were unable to finish our project even though we (work)
___________________ hard for three days.
4.
mother finally sat us down and talked to us about the problem.
5.
to compete with a big chain coffee shop for a year before it failed.
6.
needed more speaking practice.
7.
showed up?
8.
long time. They finally succeeded in 2008.
9.
answered the phone?
10.
the test regularly for 6 years. Perhaps I'm not really a good driver.
11. Our literature class finally finished War and Peace yesterday. We (read)
___________________ that huge novel for more than a month.
12. My sister (date) ___________________ her boyfriend for 5 years before he
finally asked her to marry him.
13. Camilla (have) ___________________ difficulty completing her Ph.D until
last year. She met a professor who inspired her to work harder.
14.
when the solution finally appeared as though by magic.
15. Mr. Brown (work) ___________________ on the English Resource Center
for months before he was finally happy with his results.
I (stare) ___________________ at the math problem for hours last night