The Past Perfect Tense

The past prefect tense is used to show an action which has completed before a certain event in the past. In a sentence, the past prefect tense is generally combined with the past time, since both refer to two events in the past, this is often related with before and after.

S + had + PP + O (+)

Had + S + PP + O (?)

S + Had not + PP + O (-)

Example

The nurse had taken the patient’s temperature before she went home (+)

Had he smoked three cigarettes before she returned (?)

We hadn’t drunk small cups of coffee after we finished dinner (-)

Listening

I’d already picked it up

Henry    : did you did Marocco ?

Gilbert  : oh yes I came back by plane

Henry    : did you have a good flight?

Gilbert  : yes…and no, I dropped my case

Henry    : what?

Gilbert  : I dropped my case

Henry    : when you were getting onto the plane?

Gilbert  : no, I’d already got onto the plane, I was looking for my seat

Henry    : when you dropped your case?

Gilbert  : yes

Henry    : did it fall open?

Gilbert  : no. I’d locked it carefully

Henry    : before

Gilbert  : Pardon?

Henry    : before, you’d locked it carefully before. Before the flight

Gilbert  : oh oh yes, yes. Then I saw the stewardess-

Henry    : and you asked her to pick up

Gilbert  : what?

Henry    : you asked the stewardess to pick up your case

Gilbert  : no, I’d already picked it up. I asked her-

Henry    : to show you your seat

Gilbert  : what?

Henry    : you asked the stewardess to show you your seat

Gilbert  : no I’d already found my seat

Henry    : oh what did you ask her?

Gilbert  : I asked her to open the window

Henry    : you asked her  to open the window?

Gilbert  : yes I said “ could you open the window, please?”

Henry    : oh an airplane?

Gilbert  : yes

Henry    : you can’t open the window on airplane

Gilbert  : I didn’t know. It was my first flight. I’d never been in an airplane before.

Reading

Everything except the weather

My old friend, Harrison, had lived in the Mediterranean for many years before he returned to England. He had often dreamed of retiring in England and had planned to settle down in the country. He had no sooner returned than he bought a fine house  and went to live there. Almost immediately he began to complain about the weather, for even though it was still summer, it rained continually and it was often bitterly cold.

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