The past perfect tense is used for a completed action in the past that was completed before another completed action in the past.
- I had left the park before noon.
(in the past/second action/noon – in the past/first action/left the park) - He had gone home before I came.
(in the past/second action/I came – in the past/first action/gone home)
The past perfect is formed using had + past participle.
- He had travelled around Asia before the end of 2022.
(had + travelled)
The negative is formed using had + not + past participle.
- The price had not risen before he bought his ticket.
(had + not + past participle/risen)
The question is formed using question word + had + subject + past participle.
- What had you done to protect your house before the burglar broke into the house?
(question word/what + had + subject/you + past participle/done)
For yes/no questions it is formed using had + subject + past participle.
- Had he completed the assignment by last week?
(had + subject/he + past participle/completed)
Common mistakes with tenses.
