We prepared these past perfect exercises in the multiple questions test format with answers to help you improve your knowledge of the past perfect tense. The explanation tab includes past perfect examples, sentences, usage, formula and structure. You can download ready-made worksheets in PDF or Word formats from the worksheet section.
Published At: 4/4/2025, 2:51:31 PM
EXERCISE
EXPLANATION
Past Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect Tense is used to show that one action in the past happened before another past action or time. It helps us understand the order of past events clearly.
Form of the Past Perfect
Subject + had + past participle (V3)
Positive: She had finished her homework before dinner.
Negative: They had not seen that movie before.
Question:Had you visited London before 2019?
When Do We Use the Past Perfect?
We use the Past Perfect to:
Show that one action happened before another in the past.
Talk about experience or states before a point in the past.
Examples:
*I had already eaten* when he arrived.
*They had left* before the party started.
Common Time Expressions with Past Perfect
Time Expression
Example
Note
before
I had finished my work before he arrived.
Use to show earlier action
after
After we had eaten, we left.
Often followed by Past Perfect
already
They had already left by 8 PM.
Emphasizes the action was completed
by the time
By the time she arrived, I had finished.
Shows the cut-off point for the earlier action
when
When I got home, he had left.
Often pairs Past Perfect with Past Simple
Quick Tips
Use “had + past participle” to show something happened earlier than another past action.
The action in Past Perfect happened first, the action in Past Simple happened second.
Useful for storytelling or explaining past experiences in sequence.
Practice with signal words: before, after, already, by the time.