Audio 73

GRAMMAR 1

Past Perfect

We use past perfect to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past.

Example:

a. Some street vendors had sold exotic pets before the police arrived to the market.

1st action                                                  2nd action

In the sentence above, the idea is that some street vendors sold exotic pets first, after that action, the police arrived to the place. To show that chronological order of the actions, we use past perfect (had + V. Past part) for the first action and past simple for the second one.

PAST PERFECT STRUCTURE
Affirmative

a. Some street vendors had sold exotic pets before police arrived.

Aux Past              Part.

b. I had seen extinct animals in the zoo.

Aux Past                Part.

Negative

a. Some street vendors hadn’t sold exotic pets before the police arrived.

Aux    Past                   Part.

b. I hadn’t seen extinct animals in the zoo.

Aux    Past                    Part.

Interrogative

a. Had some street vendors sold exotic pets before the police arrived?

Aux                                   Past                                                Part.

b. Had I seen extinct animals in the zoo?

Aux    Past                 Part.

Note: We use the same structure for all the types of pronouns. I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.