Past Perfect Tense

The action that took place before another action in the past time is called the Past perfect tense. The action is also called more past as just past is referred to as simple past tense. It means the action was completed a long time before in the past. The structure of past perfect tense is:

Subject + had + V3 (III form of the verb) + other words

Examples:

• He had written a letter to his grandfather.
• The train had arrived before I reached the station.
• I had reached the station before the train arrived.
• The patient had died before the doctor came.
• I had already bought the ticket.
• He had reached much earlier.
• He had washed his face before he ate.
• She had cooked food a long time before.
• The train had reached a long time before.
• I had reached the bus stop before the bus came.

Structure of past perfect tense in all forms of sentences

1. Affirmative sentence: In the affirmative sentence of the past perfect tense, the auxiliary verb 'had' is used and followed by the third form of the verb (past participle). There is no use of singular and plural as the auxiliary verb is not changed according to the subject. The structure of the sentence is:

Subject + had +V3 + other words

Examples:

• He had baked the cake.
• We had baked the cake.
• You had baked the cake.
• They had baked the cake.
• John had baked the cake.
• Girls had baked the cake.
• I had locked the room before I went to market.
• She had cooked the food before the guest came.
• I had reached home before the rain started.
• He had taken a bath before worship.
• Raj had completed his homework before the game started.

2. Negative sentence: In the negative sentence of the past perfect tense, 'not' is used after the auxiliary verb 'had'. The structure of the sentence is:

Subject + had + not + V3 + other words

Examples:

• I had not baked the cake.
• We had not baked the cake.
• You had not baked the cake.
• They had not baked the cake.
• John had not baked the cake.
• Girls had not baked the cake.
• I had not locked the room before I went to market.
• She had not cooked the food before the guest came.
• I had not reached home before the rain started.
• He had not taken a bath before worship.
• Raj had not completed his homework before the game started.

3. Interrogative sentence: In the interrogative sentence of the past perfect tense, 'had' is used before the subject. The structure of the sentence is:

Had + subject + V3 + other words

Examples:

• Had I baked the cake?
• Had we baked the cake?
• Had you baked the cake?
• Had they baked the cake?
• Had john baked the cake?
• Had girls baked the cake?
• Had I locked the room before I went to market?
• Had she cooked the food before the guest came?
• Had I reached home before the rain started?
• Had I taken a bath before worship?
• Had raj completed the homework before the game started?

4. Negative interrogative sentence: In the negative interrogative sentence of the past perfect tense, 'had' is used before the subject, and 'not' is used after the subject followed by the verb. The structure of the sentences is:

Had + subject + not + V3 + other words

Examples:

• Had I not baked the cake?
• Had we not baked the cake?
• Had you not baked the cake?
• Had he/she not baked the cake?
• Had they not baked the cake?
• Had john not baked the cake?
• Had girls not baked the cake?
• Had I not locked the room before I went to market?
• Had she not cooked the food before the guest came?
• Had I not reached home before the rain started?
• Had I not taken a bath before worship?
• Had raj not completed the homework before the game started?

Uses of the past perfect tense

• It is used to denote an action completed before a certain time in the past.
  Examples: All the shops had closed at 7 p.m. She had passed her 12^th examination before 16 years.
• When two actions happened in the past, the past perfect tense is used for the action that occurred earlier. Such sentences are joined with the help of when, after, before, already.
  Example: When I reached the station the train had left. I had seen him twice before he left for Delhi.
• It is also used to describe a sentence that doesn't have two parts, but through the sentence, it is clear that the action occurred much earlier in the past.
  Examples: I had already bought my car. He had cooked much earlier.
• It is used to describe an unfulfilled desire, hope, expectation, etc., of the past.
  Example: I wish I had listened to my mother's advice. I had meant to help you, but I couldn't do it.
• It is used to describe such negative actions of the past that had an effect later.
  Examples: If you had practiced hard, you would have won the match. If he had left earlier, he would have caught the train on time.
• When we changed the direct speech of present perfect and past indefinite tense into indirect speech, they became past perfect tense.
  Examples: Direct: He said, "I have completed the homework."
  Indirect: He said that he had completed the homework.
  Direct: John said, "I won the match."
  Indirect: John said that he had won the match.

Some differences between past perfect tense and past indefinite tense

• When two actions happened in the past, past perfect is used for the action that occurred earlier while past indefinite is used for the action that occurred later in the past.
  Examples: The patient had died before the doctor came.
  He had come to my house before I got up.
• When two actions happened at the same time in the past or one action happened immediately after another action, both the sentences are described as past indefinite tense.
  Examples: When john's mother saw the result, he was horrified.
  When Rani heard the baby cry, she ran to pick him up.
• Past indefinite is used to narrate the past event, while past perfect is used to describe the earlier event, not in narrative form.
  Examples: I got up at 4 and studied for 3 hours. After taking a bath, I took breakfast. Then, I went to school. (Narrative in past indefinite tense)
  I had taken a bath before I took breakfast. Before taking breakfast, I had already studied for 3 hours.