she had finished her homework

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Has Completed, Had Completed, & Have Completed: Grammar Rules Explained

Last Updated: May 15, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Tristen Bonacci and by wikiHow staff writer, Jessica Gibson . Tristen Bonacci is a Licensed English Teacher with more than 20 years of experience. Tristen has taught in both the United States and overseas. She specializes in teaching in a secondary education environment and sharing wisdom with others, no matter the environment. Tristen holds a BA in English Literature from The University of Colorado and an MEd from The University of Phoenix. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 51,024 times.

The English language is full of grammar rules that can take a little practice to learn. Take “has completed” or “had completed”—they’re very similar, but used in specific cases. We’ll guide you through when to use “has completed,” or “had completed.” We’ll also explain when “have completed” is the best choice.

When to Use "Has Completed"

• She has completed the marathon.
• The computer has completed running its diagnostics.
• He has completed filling out the forms.

When to Use "Had Completed"

• I had completed my work when my friends showed up.
• They had completed their task before starting their next challenge.
• We had completed our homework, but we forgot it at home. [3] X Research source

When to Use "Have Completed"

• I have completed outlining my essay.
• You have completed listening to the podcast.
• I have completed my training.

• They have completed their project.
• We have completed our assignment.
• The kids have completed their homework.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/verbtenses
• ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/verbforms
• ↑ https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/effectiveenglish/chapter/simple-past-past-continuous-and-past-perfect/
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/present-perfect-tense/
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/has-vs-have/

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Past Perfect Tense: Explanation With Examples

By: bora.ege.turan

Table of Contents

To express ourselves fully in English, we need to learn the tenses first. Tenses are what determine the time which the action takes place. Tenses change the form of verbs to do so. Learning the tenses will help us speak English better and easier. This guide is prepared to help you learn all about the Past Perfect Tense.

What Is Past Perfect Tense?

We use the Past Perfect Tense to reference actions or events that happened before another action that also happened in the past. Similarly, we can use it to express a completed action before another action in the past, report past events or give background information in narratives, talk about hypothetical conditions or actions that could have happened in the past, but did not, and express regrets or wish for a different past outcome.

What Are the Grammar Rules of Past Perfect Tense?

The grammar rules of the past perfect tense involve the correct usage of the auxiliary verb “had” and the past participle form of the main verb. Here are the detailed grammar rules for constructing sentences in the past perfect tense:

Auxiliary verb “had”: The past perfect tense always requires the auxiliary verb “had” as the helping verb. It remains the same for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

Past participle form of the main verb: The main verb in the past perfect tense should be in its past participle form. Regular verbs form the past participle by adding “-ed” to the base form (e.g., work → worked, play → played). Irregular verbs have specific past participle forms that need to be memorized (e.g., go → gone, eat → eaten).

Time marker: The past perfect tense is often used with time markers to indicate the sequence of events in the past. Common time markers include “before,” “after,” “when,” “once,” “until,” “already,” “never,” and “just.”

Sequence of events: The past perfect tense is used to express an action that occurred before another action in the past. It emphasizes that the action was completed before the other action took place. The action described by the past perfect tense is further back in the past than the other action.

Subject-verb agreement: The past perfect tense follows the subject-verb agreement rule, where the verb form should agree with the subject in terms of singular or plural form. For example, “I had finished” (singular subject) and “They had finished” (plural subject).

Negative and interrogative forms: To create negative sentences in the past perfect tense, place “not” after “had,” such as “had not” or “hadn’t.” In interrogative sentences, invert the subject and “had,” such as “Had you finished?” Here are some example sentences illustrating the grammar rules of the past perfect tense:

She had already eaten dinner before she went to the movie. They had never seen such a beautiful sunset until that day. Had you finished your work before the meeting started? The train had left the station by the time we arrived. He had studied Spanish for five years before he traveled to Spain.

By following these grammar rules, you can construct sentences in the past perfect tense accurately.

How To Construct Sentences in Past Perfect Tense

You can construct positive, negative and interrogative sentences in Past Perfect Tense. Constructing positive, negative, and interrogative sentences in the past perfect tense follows specific rules. Let’s look at each type:

Positive Sentences: In positive sentences, we use the subject followed by the auxiliary verb “had” and the past participle form of the main verb.

Subject + had + past participle + (object/complement)

Examples: She had finished her homework. They had visited the museum. I had studied for the test.

Negative Sentences: In negative sentences, we use the subject followed by the auxiliary verb “had not” or the contraction “hadn’t,” and then the past participle form of the main verb.

Subject + had not / hadn’t + past participle + (object/complement)

Examples: She had not finished her homework. They hadn’t visited the museum. I hadn’t studied for the test.

Interrogative Sentences: In interrogative sentences, we invert the subject and the auxiliary verb “had” and place them at the beginning of the sentence. Then, we use the past participle form of the main verb.

Had + subject + past participle + (object/complement)

Examples: Had she finished her homework? Had they visited the museum? Had I studied for the test?

NOTE: In both negative and interrogative sentences, the contraction “hadn’t” can be used instead of “had not” for simplicity and informality.

Past Perfect Tense Positive Sentences

To write a positive past perfect tense sentence, we use the formula we learned above. The formula is subject + had + past participle. Here is a table and a few examples to help you better understand.

Negative Past Perfect Tense Sentences

To write a negative past perfect tense sentence, we use the formula we learned above and add a negative adverb. The formula is subject + had + not + past participle. Here is a table and some examples to help you better understand.

Interrogative Past Perfect Tense Sentences

When writing interrogative past perfect tense sentences, we use the formula had + subject + past participle and had + subject + not + past participle. Here are a few tables and some examples for you to better understand.

Positive Interrogative Past Perfect Sentence Examples:

Negative Interrogative Past Perfect Sentence Examples:

Short Answer Questions in Past Perfect Tense

It’s possible to not give full sentence answers when answering a question in Past Perfect Tense. To give short answers, we need to write Yes/No + subject + had/had not. Here are some tables and examples to help you better understand.

Positive Short Answer Questions in Past Tense

Negative Short Answer Questions in Past Tense

Interrogative Past Perfect Tense Sentences Using WH- Questions

We can form Past Perfect Tense interrogative sentences using question words to ask more specific questions. These question words include “How”, “What”, “When”, “Where”, “Which”, “Who”, and “Why”. To form a Past Perfect Tense interrogative sentence with question words, we write question word + had + subject + verb. Here is a table and some examples to help you better understand.

Temporal Adverbs (Adverbs of Time) With Past Perfect Tense

We can use temporal adverbs if we want to further specify what time the actions in question took place. Commonly used temporal adverbs with Past Perfect Tense are “before”, “already”, “since”, “till”. Here are a few examples to help you better understand.

Had I called you before you left the house? Hadn’t you already booked the tickets? It hadn’t snowed since last January. We hadn’t agreed to meet up till last Monday.

Frequently Asked Questions about Past Perfect Tense

What is the Difference Between Past Perfect Tense and Simple Present Continuous Tense?

The past perfect tense refers to a completed action before another action that took place in the past, while the present continuous tense describes an action that started in the past and is continuing in the present.

What is the Difference Between Past Perfect Tense and Simple Past Tense?

The simple past tense refers to a completed action in the past that has no connection to the past or present, while the past perfect tense describes a completed action that happened before another action in the past.

What is the Difference Between Past Perfect Tense and English Future Tense?

The past perfect tense refers to completed actions in the past that take place before another action in the past, while the future tense refers to actions that have not happened yet in the future.

What is Past Perfect Tense formulation?

To form a sentence in Past Perfect Tense, we use the formula of subject + had + past participle (V3).

Past Perfect Tense: Would you like to put into practice what you have learned about using Past Perfect Tense in sentences with its explanations, usage, and example sentences? If you wish, you can explore over 20,000 interactive video lessons on EnglishCentral , improve your vocabulary, and practice pronunciation. Alternatively, during live 1-on-1 English lessons , you can review what you have learned with your personal English tutor. How about signing up for EnglishCentral and starting to learn English right away?

Past Perfect Continuous Tense With Examples, Rules, Usage

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is a verb form that expresses an ongoing action that was happening before another action took place in the past. This tense is formed by using the past perfect of the auxiliary verb “to have” (had) and the past participle of the main verb, along with the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.

• I had been working on the project for three hours before the meeting started.
• She had been practicing the piano for months before the concert.
• I realized I had not been paying attention during the entire lecture.
• Had you been waiting for a long time before the bus finally arrived?
• How long had they been working on the project before they completed it?

Table of Contents

Usages of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Ongoing Action in the Past

An “ongoing action in the past” refers to an activity that was happening continuously at a specific point in the past, emphasizing its duration. Past Continuous or Past Perfect Continuous tenses are commonly used to express such ongoing actions.

• She was reading a novel when the power went out.
• We were playing tennis at the park all afternoon.
• They had been studying chemistry for hours before the experiment.
• I wasn’t watching TV when the big news broke.
• She had not been practicing the piano before the recital.
• They weren’t playing video games the whole evening.
• Were you studying when the phone rang?
• Had they been working on the project for a long time before finishing it?
• Was she practicing the guitar when you called her?

Cause and Effect

“Cause and effect” describe a relationship where one ongoing action (expressed in Past Perfect Continuous) leads to another action (expressed in the past simple), indicating a direct influence or consequence.

• They had been waiting for hours (cause), so she arrived at the party (effect).
• He had been practicing guitar for weeks, so his performance at the concert was outstanding.
• After they had been saving money diligently, they could finally afford a dream vacation.
• Because he hadn’t been paying attention in class, he failed the surprise quiz.
• She had not been managing her time well, so she missed the deadline for the project.
• As they hadn’t been communicating effectively, misunderstandings arose in their relationship.
• Had you been practicing the presentation before delivering it at the conference?
• Had they been working on the proposal for a while before submitting it?
• Was the team practicing hard before the crucial match?

Emphasis on Duration

“Emphasis on Duration” in the context of verb tenses, specifically the Past Perfect Continuous Tense, refers to the focus on the extended period during which an action was continuously happening in the past. This tense is particularly useful when you want to highlight the duration of an ongoing activity that took place leading up to a specific point in the past.

• She had been practicing the piano for hours before the recital.
• They had been renovating the house for months when it was finally complete.
• We had been hiking all day before reaching the summit.
• She hadn’t been practicing her guitar regularly, so her performance suffered.
• They had not been exercising consistently, leading to a decline in fitness.
• Had you been working on the project for a long time before submitting it?
• Were they practicing the dance routine for hours before the performance?
• Had she been living in the city for a while before finding a job?

Past Perfect Continuous Tense Chart

Signal Words

Signal words are words or phrases that indicate the use of a specific verb tense or help convey the relationship between different events in a sentence. In the case of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense, certain signal words or phrases are commonly used to provide context and indicate the ongoing and continuous nature of the action leading up to a specific point in the past. like by the time, before, already, for, since, how long, etc.

• By the time the movie started, they had been waiting in line for tickets.
• She realized she had already been baking for hours when guests arrived.
• Before the trip, we had been planning itineraries for weeks.
• Before the rescue team arrived, they had not been receiving any signals.
• She was upset because her car hadn’t been running smoothly for weeks.
• They had not been practicing regularly, so the performance suffered.
• By the time you arrived, how long had they been waiting for you?
• Had she already been preparing for the exam when you called?
• How long had you been learning French before your trip to Paris?

Time Expressions

Time expressions are words or phrases that provide information about the duration or specific period during which the ongoing action occurred. These expressions help to set the timeframe for the continuous action leading up to a particular point in the past. Like for, since, all day/night/week/month/year, how long, by the time  etc.

• They had been working on the project for weeks before they presented it.
• She realized she had been practicing the piano all day before the concert.
• Before the guests arrived, I had been decorating the house all night.
• Before the repair, the car hadn’t been running smoothly for weeks.
• He failed the exam because he hadn’t been studying effectively all week.
• The garden suffered because it had not been receiving water for several days.
• For how long had you been waiting before the train arrived?
• Since when had they been planning the surprise party for you?
• All morning, what had they been discussing in the meeting?

Forming the Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Affirmative sentences.

Affirmative sentences in the Past Perfect Continuous Tense express an action that was ongoing and continuous for a duration leading up to a specific point in the past. The structure of affirmative sentences in this tense involves the use of the past perfect form of the auxiliary verb “to have” (had), the past participle of the main verb, and the present participle (base verb + -ing).

Subject + had been + verb(1st form) ing + object +since/for.

• I had been working on the report for hours before the deadline.
• By the time they arrived, we had been waiting for ages.
• She had been practicing the piano all morning.
• The kids had been playing outside for hours.
• We had been living in that city for ten years.
• Before the guests came, I had been preparing dinner.
• He had been running marathons for years.
• They had been studying hard for the exam.
• By the time I got there, they had been rehearsing the play.
• She had been gardening since early morning.

The sentences given above are broken down according to their grammatical structure.

Negative Sentences

Negative sentences in the Past Perfect Continuous Tense express actions that were not ongoing or were not continuous for a specified duration leading up to a particular point in the past. The structure of negative sentences in this tense involves the use of the past perfect form of the auxiliary verb “to have” (had not or hadn’t), the past participle of the main verb, and the present participle (base verb + -ing).

Subject + had + not + been + verb(1st form)ing object + since/for.

• She hadn’t been studying for the test for weeks.
• We had not been working on the project since last month.
• He hadn’t been practicing the guitar for a long time.
• They had not been exercising regularly since the beginning of the year.
• By the time they called for help, they hadn’t been hiking for very long.
• I had not been taking breaks since I started working on the assignment.
• Before the storm hit, the weather hadn’t been changing for weeks.
• She had not been attending dance classes since she moved to the new city.
• The students hadn’t been using the laboratory for experiments for months.

Interrogative Sentences

Interrogative sentences in the Past Perfect Continuous Tense are formed by using the auxiliary verb “had” (the past tense of “have”), followed by “been,” and then the present participle form of the main verb with “-ing.”

Had + subject + been + verb(1st form)ing + object + since/for?

• Had she been waiting for a long time before the concert started?
• Had they been traveling throughout Europe for months?
• Had he been working on the assignment since yesterday?
• Had the team been practicing for the championship match for weeks?
• Had you been learning Spanish for several months?
• Had it been raining since morning before you arrived?
• Had they been renovating the house for the entire summer?
• Had she been playing the piano all afternoon since she got home?
• Had we been discussing the plan for weeks before making a decision?
• Had the children been playing outside for hours before it started raining?

Spelling Rules

Spelling rules in English, including those related to the past perfect continuous tense, primarily involve maintaining consistency in verb forms and following standard rules for adding suffixes and endings.

• Example: work → worked, play → played
• For irregular verbs, the past participle can vary, and there may not be a consistent rule. Common irregular past participles include eaten, taken, and driven.
• Example: She had been studying for hours.
• Example: dance → dancing, write → writing
• Example: run → running, hop → hopping
• Example: die → dying, lie → lying
• Example: go → had been going, see → had been seeing

Past Perfect vs. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Avoiding common mistakes.

Incorrect Verb Form:

• ❌ Incorrect: She had been study for hours.
• ✅ Correction: She had been studying for hours.

Unnecessary Use:

• ❌ Incorrect: By the time I arrived, they had been waiting for an hour.
• ✅ Correction: By the time I arrived, they had waited for an hour.

Unnecessary “Since” with Duration:

• ❌ Incorrect: She had been working on the project since three hours.
• ✅ Correction: She had been working on the project for three hours.

Missing Time Expression:

• ❌ Incorrect: They had been practicing the song.
• ✅ Correction: They had been practicing the song for an hour .

Using it for Single, Completed Actions:

• ❌ Incorrect: She had been cooked dinner by the time I arrived.
• ✅ Correction: She had cooked dinner by the time I arrived.

Confusing Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous:

• ❌ Incorrect: I had been lived in that city for five years.
• ✅ Correction: I had lived in that city for five years.

Incorrect Placement of “For” and “Since”:

• ❌ Incorrect: She had been reading since two hours.
• ✅ Correction: She had been reading for two hours.

Omitting “Been” with “Have”:

• ❌ Incorrect: Had you studying all day?
• ✅ Correction: Had you been studying all day?

Past  Perfect Continuous Tense Example Sentences

Affirmative Sentences:

• He had been saying his prayers since childhood.
• The clouds had been thundering since midnight.
• The people had been sitting under the trees since 11’o clock.
• She had been Knitting a sweater for an hour.
• My friend had been looking for several months.
• The washer man had been washing the clothes since morning.
• It had been raining since Monday.
• The boys had been playing a friendly match since 4’o clock.
• The villagers had been taking a bath in the canal since noon.
• We had been drawing maps since noon.
• My brother bad been preparing for the examination for many days.
• The carpenter had been making chairs for many days.
• They had been reading the newspaper for two hours.
• The mail had been plucking flowers for two hours.
• The girls had been playing with toys for many hours.
• She had been skiing since early morning.
• They had been volunteering at the shelter for a long time.
• Before the technology upgrade, the system had been malfunctioning regularly.
• He had been coaching the team for several seasons.
• By the time the news broke, the journalists had been investigating for months.

Negative Sentences:

• The boys had not been making a notice since morning.
• The fishermen had not been catching fish for many days.
• The gardener had not been plucking flowers since morning.
• The cattle had not been eating fodder since yesterday.
• Zaid had not been learning tables for many hours.
• You had not been working in this office for four months.
• Students had not been wasting their time for many days.
• They hadn’t been communicating effectively for a considerable time before the conflict arose.
• By the time the repairman arrived, the appliance hadn’t been working properly for weeks.
• She had not been taking medication for a long time, leading to health issues.
• We hadn’t been attending the language classes since the instructor changed.
• Before the event, the organizers had not been planning adequately for the large crowd.
• He had not been enjoying his job for months, so he decided to resign.
• They hadn’t been saving money for a considerable period before the unexpected expenses.
• She had not been updating her resume since she started her current job.
• Before the pandemic, people had not been practicing social distancing for a long time.
• He hadn’t been attending family gatherings for years, creating a sense of estrangement.

Interrogative Sentences:

• Had the birds been chirping since morning?
• For how many years had they been living in that house before moving?
• Had she been cooking all day before the family arrived?
• Since when had he been playing the guitar before the concert?
• Had she been writing the novel for years before publishing it?
• How long had they been watching movies before going to bed?
• For how many months had you been working on the project before completing it?
• Had they been practicing for weeks before the big game?
• Since when had she been learning French before the trip to Paris?
• Had Ahmad been living here since childhood?
• For how long had he been exercising before feeling more energetic?
• Had it been snowing for days before the roads were cleared?
• Since when had they been renovating the kitchen before the party?
• How long had she been singing before her voice became hoarse?
• Had he been coming here for two weeks?
• Where had you been playing since morning?
• For how many hours had they been discussing the plan before deciding?
• Since when had he been playing video games before the console broke?
• Had they been traveling for months before reaching their destination?
• For how long had you been waiting for the bus before it arrived?
• a) Yes, she waits
• b) Yes, she had been waiting
• a) had cleaned
• b) had been cleaning
• a) since yesterday
• b) since morning
• a) had waiting
• b) had been waiting
• a) had been working
• b) were working
• a) had you been waiting
• b) were you waiting
• a) had given
• b) had been giving
• a) had played
• b) had been playing
• a) since last night
• b) since last week
• a) had she been working
• b) was she working
• a) attended
• b) had attended
• a) had been changing
• a) had been running
• a) since early morning
• b) since the weekend
• a) had you been working
• b) were you working
• a) had been studying
• b) were studying
• a) was preparing
• b) had been preparing
• b) since yesterday
• a) had been progressing
• b) progressed
• a) had been writing
• b) was writing
• a) had attended
• Example: “She had been studying for hours.”
• Example: “He had been running before he tripped.”
• Example: “She had not been working for long.”
• Example: “They had been traveling for weeks.”
• It’s for ongoing/repeated actions, not single events.
• Example: “Had she been waiting long?”
• Example: “They had been working on the project for hours.”
• Correct: “for three hours.”

Free Grammar and Vocabulary Worksheets Resources

• Worksheet Tenses
• Since and For Worksheets
• English Worksheets
• Action Verbs Worksheets
• Past Perfect Continuous Worksheets

You May Also Like

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The Past Perfect Simple Tense

Table of Contents

Introduction.

The past perfect simple tense is a grammatical construction in English that expresses an action completed before a specific point in the past. In this article, we will define this tense, explore its usage, and provide examples to illustrate it.

Let’s get started with the definition of the past perfect tense.

What is the past perfect tense?

The past perfect refers to an event that was completed at some point in the past before something else happened. It is formed by combining the auxiliary verb “ had ” with “ the past participle ” of the main verb.

Here is the formula of the past perfect simple tense:

• She had finished .
• We had visited .

Forms of the past perfect simple Tense

• I had not worked = I hadn’t worked
• I had worked = I’d worked

Use of the past perfect simple

The past perfect simple tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action took place in the past. It helps establish a clear sequence of events and emphasizes the earlier completion of one action in relation to another.

Here are some common situations where the past perfect simple tense is appropriate:

• In this example, the action of Mark leaving (past perfect) occurred before the arrival of Jane (simple past).
• The spreading of the news (past perfect) happened before the mayor’s statement (simple past).
• The realization of forgetting the keys (past perfect) occurred after reaching the front door (simple past).
• The solving of the case (past perfect) preceded the events depicted in the final scene (simple past).
• The lack of knowledge about the traffic situation (past perfect) influenced the decision not to leave earlier (conditional past).

Use the past perfect tense to show an action that was completed prior to another action that took place in the past.

Time Expressions

Time expressions are crucial for providing context and specifying the timing of events when using the past perfect simple tense. Here are some common time expressions used with the past perfect simple:

• She had already finished her homework when her friends called to ask her out.
• She had finished her work before the meeting started.
• After they had left , I found the keys on the table.
• By the time the guests arrived, we had already prepared dinner.
• They stayed at the museum until they had seen all the exhibits.
• When I arrived, they had already left .
• They had known each other for years before they got married.

These time expressions help establish the chronological relationship between past events, emphasizing the completion of one action before another in the past.

Examples Sentences

Here are the sentences with the past perfect simple tense highlighted in bold:

• He had learned Spanish before he went to Spain.
• President Lincoln had attended the theater before his assassination in 1865.
• They had had lunch when I arrived.
• She passed the exam because she had worked very hard.
• I had finished my homework before my friends arrived.
• By the time we reached the cinema, the movie had already started .
• They had visited Paris twice before they decided to move there.
• The chef realized he had forgotten to add the key ingredient to the recipe.
• She had never seen such a beautiful sunset before she traveled to the beach.
• Before the storm hit, most people had already evacuated the area.
• The team had won every match in the tournament until they faced the champions.
• After the concert, the musician revealed that she had practiced for hours every day.
• By the time I woke up, my family had already gone for a morning walk.
• Before the invention of smartphones, people had to rely on traditional phones.
• The explorers had reached the summit of the mountain before the severe weather set in.
• He had learned Spanish for years before he moved to a Spanish-speaking country.
• The children had finished their chores before their parents returned home.
• Before the technology upgrade, the company had used outdated software for years.
• She realized she had left her wallet at home after arriving at the grocery store.
• The detective had gathered enough evidence before making the arrest.
• The flowers had bloomed beautifully in the garden before the unexpected frost damaged them.
• If he had studied harder, he would have passed the exam.
• If they had left home earlier, they wouldn’t have missed the train.

In summary, the past perfect simple tense is typically used to indicate an event that took place before another event in the past. Its form consists of the auxiliary “had ” and the past participle of the main verb. This tense is perfect for narrating events in the past or expressing a conditional situation in the past.

Related Pages:

• Past Perfect Continuous
• Exercises on the Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect in English

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Past perfect, also referred to as the pluperfect, helps us talk about actions related to other actions. In this reference, we will discuss what is the past perfect tense, its uses, different forms, example sentences, and tips for mastering this complex verb tense!

What is the Past Perfect Tense?

The past perfect tense is a verb form in the English language used to talk about actions that happened before another past action. It is formed by using the past form of the verb ‘had’ and the past participle of the main verb. The past perfect tense is used to refer to events that happened in the past before something else in the past.

For example, “She had already finished her homework before her friends arrived.” In this sentence, the past perfect tense is used to indicate that the action of finishing her homework was completed before her friends arrived.

The formula for the past perfect tense looks like this:

Subject + had + past participle of the main verb

For example, “He had finished his homework.”

We also use this tense to explain the duration of actions in the past. For example, “She had been studying for two hours before she stopped.” In this sentence, the past perfect tense is used to indicate that the action of studying had been occurring for two hours before she stopped.

Uses of the Past Perfect

The past perfect tense is useful:

• To talk about past events that already happened before something else in the past.
• To talk about the duration of an action in the past.
• To talk about past events that were interrupted by another past event.
• To talk about two past actions that happened at the same time.

“He had been running for an hour before he had to stop because he was tired.”

In this sentence, the past perfect tense is used to indicate that the action of running was happening for an hour before it was interrupted by the action of him becoming tired.

• “She had been cooking dinner while her husband was watching TV.”

In this sentence, the past perfect tense is used to indicate that the action of cooking dinner and the action of watching TV were happening simultaneously in the past.

Note that the past perfect is never used when talking about events that are still happening in the present. For example, “She had been studying for two hours” is correct, but “She has been studying for two hours” is incorrect.

Different Forms of the Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense can be used in a variety of forms. It can be used in affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms.

• In the affirmative form , it is formed with ‘had’ and the past participle of your main verb. For example, “He had finished his homework.”
• In the negative form , it is formed with the verb ‘had not’ and the past participle of the main verb. For example, “He had not finished his homework.”

Examples of the Past Perfect Tense

Here are some examples of the past perfect tense in sentences:

• “She had already eaten dinner before her friends arrived.”
• “He had been running for an hour before he had to stop.”
• “She had been studying for two hours before she stopped.”
• “He had been working on the painting for a week before he finished it.”

Soon enough, you will be able to master the past perfect tense. Just remember the formula: had + past participle of the main verb. With this, you can form affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences .

Soon, you'll learn to easily use this tense to talk about all sorts of events that happened in the past. Check out more handy verb tense references below to learn more!

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100 Example Sentences with Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is used to indicate that a past action was completed before another past action. Here, you will find 100+ sentences with past perfect tense.

Sentences with Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is used to describe actions in the past before something else happened. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb had and the past participle of the main verb.

Let’s see the examples !

• I  had eaten  my breakfast when my sister came to my room.
• By the time I got there, she  had  already  left  for work.
• After she had finished her homework, she went out with her friends.
• We had never been to Spain before.
• They had lived in London for many years.
• You had never seen such a beautiful garden before.
• The train had left before I arrived at the station.
• They had decided to wait until morning before calling the police.
• She had already eaten lunch when I arrived at her house for dinner.
• I had already finished my homework when you called.
• I had never seen such an amazing movie before I watched Star Wars last night!
• When I arrived at the party, most guests had already left.
• We had eaten dinner before we went to the movie theater.
• The teacher had finished correcting our papers by the time we got to class.
• I had not been to the movies for many years when I saw that movie.
• I hadn’t seen that movie before, but I wanted to see it again because it was so good.
• He hadn’t played baseball since childhood until he joined his friend’s team this summer.
• The restaurant had closed when we got to eat there last weekend!
• My parents had lived in that house for almost 50 years when they decided to move into town so they could be closer to us.
• I had never seen such a beautiful garden.
• She had made me a nice cup of coffee.
• You had told me about this movie before.
• He had lost his dog in the park yesterday.
• We had been to that restaurant before but didn’t like it.
• They had just moved to this city last month.
• She had lived in New York for two years before coming here.
• We had already eaten dinner when you called last night.
• I had already read this book before she gave it to me yesterday afternoon.
• I had never seen such an amazing movie before.
• She had already eaten dinner when I arrived at her house.
• The movie had ended when the lights came back on in the theater where it was showing.
• The train had left the station before I reached there.
• I had never been to Paris before and always wanted to go there.
• I had never seen you look so beautiful before.
• We had not been here before, so we did not know where to go for dinner.
• He had passed out by the time he reached home.
• By the time our teacher arrived at school, all of us had left for home.
• We had completed all our assignments before going to bed last night.
• He had finished his homework before I arrived.
• I had studied for two hours when he arrived at my house.
• I had worked in a bank before I came to this company.
• When she arrived at the airport, her plane had already taken off.
• He had traveled to many countries by the time he was 25 years old.
• We had taken breakfast before our guests arrived at 8 am.
• We had waited for more than an hour when finally the bus arrived with our luggage still on board.
• I had just arrived at the theater when the show started.
• The storm had just passed when we went outside to enjoy the sunshine.
• She had lived in that house for over 30 years before she sold it to move into an apartment in town.
• I had never seen anything so beautiful, on TV or in a movie theater!
• We had already eaten dinner before we went out dancing at the club last night.
• He had taught English in China for five years before he decided to move back home to New York City.
• I had phoned my friend before I left home.
• The boys had played football before it started raining.
• We had finished our work before they came to our office.
• She had seen the new film before she went to the theatre with her friends.
• We had lived in that house for two years when we decided to move again.
• They had traveled all over Europe before they came back home to Australia again.
• At that time, we didn’t realize what a great opportunity our parents had given us when they let us move out of their house and live on our own.
• By the time I was in high school, I had already decided to become an architect because that’s what my dad did for a living, and it seemed like fun.
• He had been to the grocery store when he got home from work.
• The girls had been in the pool for an hour when their mom called them to dinner.
• They had been married for 30 years before they decided to have children.
• Carlos had lived in Mexico City for ten years when he finally moved back to Guadalajara last year.
• The doctor had removed my appendix two weeks before I came down with appendicitis again this week.
• I hadn’t made breakfast before he arrived.
• They had left the restaurant before it closed.
• I had been in Rome for two weeks when I decided to move.
• I had seen this girl once, but I liked her voice.
• I had just put my laptop on the table when it fell off.
• He had lived in India for a long time, so he knew how to speak Hindi fluently.
• My grandparents had already taken their test by the time I arrived.
• She had worked as a waitress at a restaurant before she became an actress.
• When I arrived home, my mother told me she had met my uncle on the bus.
• My brother had left for work before sunrise, but he did not get up until 8:00 am because he forgot to set his alarm clock last night.
• The teacher had taught the students how to prepare for the exam yesterday morning.
• My parents had paid for my college education by the time I graduated high school in 1994.
• The meeting had already ended when I reached the office.
• I had already finished my assignment when my friends came over for help with their homework.
• The baby had slept for two hours when the mother took him out for a walk in his stroller around the park near their house.
• I had finished my homework before my mother came home from work.
• We realized we had left our keys in the car when we got home from the movies.
• By the time I got to work on Monday, I had already received emails from both of my bosses about what needed to be done for the week ahead.
• The storm had passed by the time we woke up on Sunday morning, but there were still plenty of tree branches lying around in our yard after all the wind and rain we had experienced the night before.
• When I reached my home at midnight last night, there were dozens of messages on my answering machine from friends who were worried about me because they had not heard from me for several days or weeks!
• They went to dinner together at a restaurant near their house after they had done their homework and rested.
• When we arrived home after visiting our grandparents’ house this morning, we found nobody because everybody had gone out elsewhere!
• We had already finished our homework when they arrived home late last night because they were stuck in traffic due to an accident on the highway near their house.
• The bus driver hadn’t picked up any passengers at the last stop because he was waiting for more people to come out of the building where they lived.
• He had read all the books in his collection before he had started to write his first novel.
• We had lived in this city for almost twenty years before moving to another one.
• She had not seen her husband for three years when he returned home.
• We had not met our cousins since they moved to another town when we were children, but that summer, we saw them again, and they invited us over for dinner several times during the next few weeks.
• Sam had spent most of his life working as an accountant until he decided to quit his job and become a teacher; he taught at the university until he retired last year.
• The movie had started by the time we got to the theater, so we decided not to go in after all because we were too tired to stay up late on a weeknight anyway.
• When he went back into his room after dinner last night, he saw that someone had broken into his closet and stolen all his money from his wallet, which had been lying on top of his dresser where he always kept it before going out for the evening; but since he didn’t notice that anything else was missing.
• We had only been married for a few months when my father died suddenly of a heart attack.
• My mother had always wanted to return to her hometown after she retired from teaching school, so we all moved back together when she retired at age 60 and never looked back again after that day!
• They had already completed their work by the time he showed up at work on Monday morning, so he had no choice but to go home again without having done anything important that day!
• John’s parents had owned their own home before he was born, so he didn’t inherit anything from them when they died three years ago at the age of seventy-two and sixty-four, respectively.
• The train had arrived at the station 20 minutes before it was due to depart, so passengers could get on board in plenty of time and have a cup of coffee before departure time.
• We had already eaten dinner when my mother came home from work late at night, so she made something quick and easy: spaghetti with tomato sauce and garlic bread.
• It was raining heavily when I reached home yesterday afternoon, but by the time I woke up this morning, it had stopped raining completely, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky.
• They were very disappointed when they learned that their team had lost the match yesterday evening, but they cheered up again when they found out that their team had won two matches out of three yesterday afternoon!

More to Read

• Verb Tenses
• Tenses Chart
• Past Perfect Worksheet

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she <had gone><went> out after she <had> finished her homework

• Thread starter JJXR
• Start date Aug 17, 2018

Senior Member

• Aug 17, 2018

Hello to all, Thanks for reading my post. Context: Lisa told her mother yesterday about what had happened the day before. Lisa's words were: "I went out after I finished my homework." Today, Lisa's mother reports Lisa's words. Sample sentences: 1. Lisa told me yesterday that she had gone out after she finished her homework. 2. Lisa told me yesterday that she had gone out after she had finished her homework. 3. Lisa told me yesterday that she went out after she finished her homework. 4. Lisa told me yesterday that she went out after she had finished her homework. Question: What tenses should Lisa's mother use? I think the correct versions are #1 and #2. In both #1 and #2, the past perfect "had gone" indicates that the going out happened before Lisa talked to her mother. In sentence #2, the past perfect "had finished" is optional and can be replaced by the simple past "finished" because the sequence of events is clear due to the presence of the word "after." Thanks a lot for any comments, corrections or suggestions! Regards, JJXR  

What do you mean by "correct", JJXR? I'd probably use the third version without worrying whether I had backshifted the past simple into the past perfect in order to satisfy somebody's notion of what "correct" backshifting should be. Why? Because I think it sounds simple and natural to report the sentence that way. The fourth version also sounds fine to me. It places the going out after the finishing of the homework without being too pernickety and awkward.  

Moderator Emeritus

• Aug 18, 2018

In normal conversation I'd almost certainly replace the second verb with "...after finishing her homework." I'd also point out that (3) is ambiguous in that it could be taken to mean that she always goes out after finishing her homework and not just on this one occasion.  

DonnyB said: I'd also point out that (3) is ambiguous in that it could be taken to mean that she always goes out after finishing her homework and not just on this one occasion. Click to expand...

Thank you all for the responses. Sentences #1, #3, and #4 work in the context provided in post #1 , whereas sentence #2 does not. Is my understanding correct?  

Sentence 2 says the same but puts it badly/clumsily.  

Thanks lingobingo.  

Exercise on Simple Past and Past Perfect

Exceptions 1.

Put the verbs into the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Perfect).

• The removal van arrived had arrived before they finished had finished packing.
• Before they moved had moved to this town, they lived had lived in Chicago.
• After the kids ate had eaten their lunch, they took had taken a little nap.
• After school we always met had always met at the youth club.
• Soon after sunrise we cycled had cycled to an observation point that I never hear had never heard of before.
• When I came had come home, my mother already prepared had already prepared dinner.
• When Monica finished had finished her homework, she went had gone out to play with her friends.
• When we met had met Andrew, we told had ask him about our plans.

Nan said, ” I have finished my homework.”

A. Nan said that she had finished her homework.” B. Nan said that she had finished my homework.” C. Nan said that she has finished her homework.” D. Nan said that she has finished my homework.”

Select your answer:          

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