Blog
Tips For Learning The Past Perfect Tense
Article

Tips For Learning The Past Perfect Tense

Learn to master the Past Perfect tense effectively at our San Diego English school, where experienced teachers offer practical tips and guidance tailored to your learning needs.

SungJu
June 3, 2024
4
minute read

As soon as you enrolled in a school for English language learning in San Diego, you realized that mastering some tenses would be really challenging. For instance, the Present Perfect seems beyond understanding. You’re always worried you aren’t using it correctly. And then there’s the Past Perfect Tense. Will you ever get a handle on it?

Well, we’re here to help you out. While you may be able to use Present Perfect Tense properly and recognize common mistakes people make while using it, in the following article we offer a few useful pointers on the Past Perfect Tense. Read on!

Contact us online and get a quote today or call us via WhatsApp!

Get a Quote

WhatsApp: +1 619 519 583

WHAT ARE THE TIPS FOR USING THE PAST PERFECT TENSE?

By definition, the Past Perfect Tense describes something that happened before something else in the past. Here is how you can use it naturally in your everyday life:

THE SEQUENCE OF PAST EVENTS ISN'T OBVIOUS

We need this tense when it isn’t clear what happened first in the past. Here’s an example to illustrate this.

  • Wrong: When Judy reached the bus station yesterday, she realized she left her bag at home.
  • Correct: When Judy reached the bus station yesterday, she realized she had left her bag at home.

The sentence with the Past Perfect Tense clarifies what happened first (she left her bag at home and then reached the bus station).

The tense isn’t necessary if we are simply listing past events one after another. In that case, the Past Simple Tense is appropriate.

  • She woke up early, had a quick breakfast, and left home in a hurry.

The sequence of events is evident, so we don’t need Past Perfect forms.

UNREAL PAST SITUATIONS

If we want to express regret or talk about a hypothetical situation in the past, we’ll use the Past Perfect Tense.

  • I wish I hadn’t left university when I was 21.
  • If I had left earlier, I wouldn’t have missed my flight yesterday.
REPORTED SPEECH

When reporting the Present Perfect Tense or the Past Simple Tense, we need to backshift, i.e. change these tenses into Past Perfect forms.  

  • Direct speech: I lived in Dubai for 20 years.
  • Reported speech: She said she had lived in Dubai for 20 years.

Sometimes, the shift doesn’t need to take place. For instance, if the original statement is still relevant or refers to the future.

Check out this example:

  • Direct speech: We are going on a holiday next week. We have booked a wonderful cottage in the countryside.
  • Indirect speech: She said that they are going on a holiday next week and that they have booked a wonderful cottage in the countryside.

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT THE PAST PERFECT TENSE?

Once you become aware of the existence of the Past Perfect Tense, you probably tend to use it more often than you should. To make sure you really need this tense and avoid making mistakes, you need to ask yourself the following:

1. Are there two or more activities that happened in the past? If yes, is it clear in what order they happened if you simply use the Past Simple Tense? If it’s not, you’ll need the Past Perfect Tense.

   When she saw him at the theater, she realized she had met him before.

2. Do you want to talk about something you wish you could change about your past? If the answer is affirmative, you’ll have to use this tense too.

I wish I had met him before.

WHICH SCHOOL FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING IN SAN DIEGO CAN HELP ME HONE MY SKILLS?

So, does the Past Perfect sound less frightening now? Maybe not? Well, don’t get discouraged right away. There’s a way out. Simply come to the College of English Language and learn with experienced teachers in hi-tech classrooms in the vicinity of the Gaslamp Quarter. Drop by today and let's perfect the present-day Lingua-Franca together!

Continue reading

Do you need an CEL expert to help you around the website?
話そう