PAST PERFECT

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE Affirmative Questions Negative subject had had not / hadn’t Had Past participle Past participle ?

USES To describe an action that was completed by a specific time in the past. (By 2000, he had raised several million pounds for charity) To describe a completed action that happened before another action in the past. (U2 had performed in the 1985 Live Aid concerts before they played in the Live8 concert in 2005) TIME EXPRESSIONS already after before by (the time)

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS Affirmative Questions Negative subject had been hadn’t been Had gerund been + gerund

USES To describe the duration of a completed action in the past. (They had been waiting for three hours) To describe continued actions which were happening in the past before another action took place. (He had been working as a journalist for ten years when he won the prize) TIME EXPRESSIONS Used to emphasize the duration of an activity: since, for, all day long.

CONTRAST PAST PERFECT SIMPLE / PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS PAST PERFECT SIMPLEPAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS Generally used with completed actions. He had revised the new vocabulary and he was confident about the test. Emphasizes the duration of a past activity. He had been revising the new vocabulary all day and he was beginning to feel confident.