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Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is used to express something that happened before another action
in the past.

Past Perfect Tense and its Uses

Construction: had + past participle
Passive: had + been + past participle

When you are using the simple past tense to tell a story, or to recount an experience
¤
of your own, you use the past perfect to mention something that happened before
then, which affects or explains the facts you are relating.

For example:

1. Kareem rushed to the bus stop, but the bus had already left .

2. We collected money for the people who had lost their parents in the disaster.

The past perfect is in some cases interchangeable with the simple past after the
¤
time conjunctions when, after, before, as soon as and until.

For example:

1. Mother had started clearing the table before finished eating.
I
2. We saw nothing of the hills until the mist had cleared .

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense is used to express something that started in the past
and continued until another time in the past.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense and its Uses

Construction: had + been + present participle

Passive: had + been + being + past participle

When you are unfolding something or telling a story in the simple past, you use the
¤
past perfect continuous tense to talk about events or activities that were ongoing
before then.

For example:

1. Simran had been working at the bank for three years when the trouble began .

2. Uncle died on Monday – he had been getting gradually weaker.
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Grammar