Forms of Past Perfect
The Past Perfect Tense is formed by using the Past Simple Tense of the verb 'to have' with the participle.
Positive | Negative | Question | |
All pronouns | I had worked | You had not worked | Had she worked? |
We had spoken | He had not spoken | Had they spoken? |
Exceptions in spelling when adding 'ed' | Example |
after a final e only add d | love - loved |
final consonant after a short, stressed vowel or / as final consonant after a vowel is doubled |
admit - admitted travel - travelled |
final y after a consonant becomes i | hurry - hurried |
Use of Past Perfect
Signal words
The past perfect simple expresses an action taking place before a certain time in the past, or it expresses that someting did NOT happen in the past, and therefore something else did not, either.