‹Past perfect› and sequence of events
How it works
The ‹past perfect› is often used in English to describe an action that had already been completed before another action in the past. It is formed with ‹had› + ‹past participle›, for example ‹had eaten›. The earlier action is often in the ‹past perfect› and the later one in the ‹simple past›. Words like ‹after›, ‹before›, ‹when›, ‹already› or ‹by the time› help to recognize the order. For ‹before› or ‹after›, the ‹simple past› can sometimes be enough if the order is already clear. Example: ‹After she had finished her homework, she went out to play.› Here, finishing homework happens earlier than playing.
When two past actions occur and you want to make the earlier one especially clear, usually use the ‹past perfect› (‹had› + ‹past participle›) for it. The later action is usually in the ‹simple past›.
An example
Which form makes it clear that the meal had already been finished when the call came: ‹When he called, she finished dinner.› or ‹When he called, she had finished dinner.›?
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50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: English. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.