PAST PERFECT VS. SIMPLE PAST

W HAT IS THE DIFFERENCE ? I had been to London. (past perfect) I went to London last week. (simple past)

TIME FINISHED UNFINISHED SIMPLE PAST PAST PERFECT I went to London I’d been to London last week. before. Specific time: - yesterday General experience. - last summer - 2 months ago

W HEN DO WE USE S IMPLE P AST ? 1) Actions that are not connected with present. The Titanic sank in ) Actions in the past that are chronologically ordered. He came in, sat on the sofa and started waiting. 3) Repeated actions in the past (= used to). I took English courses when I was twelve (= I used to take English courses). 4) When after talking about general experience we give details (when we have to be SPECIFIC and answer questions like WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW?). I’ve been to London this month. I stayed in a big hotel. I visited Trafalgar Square and bought some souvenirs.

W HEN DO WE USE P AST P ERFECT ? 1) When we talk about an action which happened before another past action or before a stated time in the past They had already reserved the table when they went to the restaurant. (they reserved the table first and then they went to the the restaurant).

W HEN DO WE USE P AST P ERFECT ? 2) Actions that are finished in the past but the results are visible in the past. Jane had injured her legs in a car accident, so he used a wheelchair for 6 months. (the action finished in the past and its result was visible in the past too.)

W HEN DO WE USE P RESENT P ERFECT ? 3) With the expressions: Before After Already For Since Just Till/until When By By the time Never Etc.

H OW DO WE MAKE P RESENT P ERFECT FORM ? Affirmative sentences: SubjectAuxiliary VerbPast Participle I You We They hadseen He She It hadseen

H OW DO WE MAKE P RESENT P ERFECT FORM ? Negative sentences: SubjectAuxiliary VerbPast Participle I You We They hadn’t (=had not)seen He She It hadn’t (=had not)seen

H OW DO WE MAKE P RESENT P ERFECT FORM ? Interrogative sentences: Yes, I had. No, we hadn’t. Yes, he had. No, she hadn’t. Auxiliary VerbSubjectPast Participle Had I you we they seen? Had he she it seen?

P AST P ARTICIPLE F ORM OF V ERBS seego cuteat workcatch leavearrive feedmake bringgive drinkdo buyteach

P AST P ARTICIPLE F ORM OF V ERBS seeseengogone cut eateaten workworkedcatchcaught leaveleftarrivearrived feedfedmakemade bringbroughtgivegiven drinkdrunkdodone buyboughtteachtaught

L ET ’ S PRACTICE A LITTLE ! 1. I ……… (see) that film before. 2. We ………. (read) three English books in class. 3. My mother ……….. (be) to London. 4. John ………… (borrow) four CDs from me and he did not give them back to me. 5. The children ………… (eat) breakfast before they went to school. 6. You ………… (drink) all the coffee by 10 am. 7. The film ………….. (start) when we arrived at the cinema.

M ANAGED TO We use managed to if we are talking about what happened in a particular situation or are referring to a specific achievement in the past. Affirmative: Tom managed to pass his driving test on the first try Negative: Patty did not (didn’t) manage to finish the test so she failed. Question: Did you manage to find Jane at the concert?

O THER EXAMPLES Did you manage to speak to him before he left home? ~ No, I'm sorry, I didn't manage to reach him. The fog came down and didn't manage to get to the top of the mountain.

E XCEPTIONS However, with verbs that refer to the five senses, see, hear, smell, feel, taste, and with verbs that refer to thought processes, understand, believe, remember, decide, think we normally use could, even when we are talking about specific occasions: He was standing very close to me and I could smell the garlic on his breath. He asked me when Julie's birthday was, but I couldn't remember. I couldn't decide whether to ask him for a lift or not. I could see that he'd been running.