● Grammar and Usage

Here we will learn to recognize situations where the past perfect tense is used and the time expressions used together with the tense. We will also see how the tense is formed. You will read two stories and complete them using the correct verb forms. Pay attention to the differences between the past perfect tense and the simple past tense.

Step 1: Past perfect tense

Past perfect tense is used to indicate that one action occurred before another action in the past. In other words, past perfect tense indicates the first of the two actions.

Form of Past Perfect

[had] + [past participle]

Examples:

I had studied a little English when I came to the U.S.

They had never met an American until they met John.