On the left, there’s a point in time when Vivian had not yet seen a skyscraper. Our nameless narrator – that’s you – on the right-hand side, is in the present, writing about some events that happened in the past. Let’s use our old friend, the timeline, to sort it out. Past perfect is used mainly in two situations: 1) When you talk about an action that was completed before another thing that happened in the past and 2) when you talk about an action that occurred over a period of time, but ended before another thing that happened in the past. Your editor is putting to see and to spend into past perfect tense, which is always formed by using had plus the past participle of the verb in question. What’s the deal? Does somebody slip your editor five bucks every time she adds the word had to a manuscript? Alas for your poor, beleaguered editor (who could use the extra dough), that’s not what’s going on. So by the end of her first day in Manhattan, her neck ached because she had spent so much time looking up. Vivian had never seen a skyscraper before she visited New York. So by the end of her first day in Manhattan, her neck ached because she was spending so much time looking up.Īnd she kicked them back to you with the following edits: Vivian never saw a skyscraper before she visited New York. Let’s say you sent the following two sentences to your editor: What’s past perfect tense, you ask? Let me explain. One thing that sets me off is abuse of the past perfect tense. When the race started, it was raining and the streets were wet.(It was still raining during the race)When the race started, it had been raining and the streets were wet.(It wasn’t raining during the race.I admit it: when I see certain things in a book, it sets my teeth on edge. It occurs with since or for to specify the durationof the action.I had been playing for two hours when I fell and twisted my ankle. ![]() Past Perfect Progressive It tells us about the length of the action and the specific point when it ended. It expresses a sense that the action was ongoing and is often used with for, since, all day, all night.I had been doing my homework when she arrived. It is used to talk about actions that were in progress up to another past action or time.The structure of the past perfect tense is: ![]() Finish work-watch TV After I had finished work, I watched TV Before I watched TV, I had finished my work. Make similar sentences using after and before. ![]() The key words of this tense are: before past simple Had+PP Mary had finished her homework before the teacher arrived. The key words of this tense are: as soon as, Past simple after As soon as the teacher came in.
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