Structure of Past Perfect Continuous Tense
|
Affirmative |
subject+had+V3+object |
James had eaten rice. |
|
Negative |
subject+ had not +V3+object |
James had not eaten rice. |
|
Interrogative |
Had+subject+V3+object? Wh + had +subject+V3+object? |
Had James eaten rice?
What had James eaten? |
|
Passive |
object
+ had+been+V3+ by + subject |
Rice
had been eaten by James. |
The Past Perfect is used:
To express the idea that something occurred before another action in the past:
ü After
I had got a new job, I left the previous one.
ü I
noticed that Elizabeth had left her book behind.
ü The
police found out who had stolen the bike.
ü I
had only just put the phone when it rang again.
ü Laxmi
came home after she had left college.
Note: When
two actions simultaneously happened in the past, simple past is used for the
2nd action and the past perfect is used for the 1st action.