Unit 5: Past perfect simple, past perfect continuous
Ngữ pháp Past perfect simple, past perfect continuous
📘 Giải thích tiếng Việt
Past perfect simple (had + V3)
Hình thức: had + past participle dùng cho mọi chủ ngữ (I'd finished, they had left). Cách dùng: diễn tả hành động hoặc trạng thái xảy ra trước một mốc thời gian trong quá khứ, hoặc nhấn mạnh kết quả tại mốc đó. Ví dụ: By the time I arrived, everyone had left.
Dấu hiệu: by, by the time, before, after, just, when. Chú ý phân biệt: "The lesson started when I arrived" (tôi đến rồi bài học mới bắt đầu) khác với "The lesson had started when I arrived" (bài học đã bắt đầu trước khi tôi đến).
Past perfect continuous (had + been + V-ing)
Hình thức: had + been + V-ing. Cách dùng: hành động kéo dài đến, hoặc vừa dừng ngay trước một mốc trong quá khứ; nhấn mạnh quá trình và khoảng thời gian. Ví dụ: She was tired because she'd been running.
Dấu hiệu: for, since, before, all day/night. Phân biệt: dạng đơn nhấn mạnh kết quả (She'd written it = đã xong), dạng tiếp diễn nhấn mạnh hành động và thời gian (She'd been writing it = đang viết, chưa xong).
Tổng điểm: 0/41
Theory
Past perfect simple (had + past participle)
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| statement | I/you/he/she/it/we/they had ('d) written... |
| negative | I/you/he/she/it/we/they had not (hadn't) written... |
| question | Had I/you/he/she/it/we/they written...? |
Use
| Use | Example | Helpful hints |
|---|---|---|
| Actions and states before a moment in the past | I'd finished my homework a few minutes before the lesson started. Mrs Cross had been a teacher for twenty years before she became a head teacher. |
The past perfect simple is often used with the following words and phrases: • by • by the time • before • after • just • when |
| Finished actions and states where the important thing is the result at a moment in the past | We were happy because we'd all done our homework. |
Watch out!
• Whether we use the past simple or the past perfect simple can change the meaning of a sentence.
✓ The lesson started when I arrived. (= I arrived and then the lesson started.)
✓ The lesson had started when I arrived. (= The lesson started and then I arrived.)
• Whether we use the past simple or the past perfect simple can change the meaning of a sentence.
✓ The lesson started when I arrived. (= I arrived and then the lesson started.)
✓ The lesson had started when I arrived. (= The lesson started and then I arrived.)
Past perfect continuous (had + been + -ing)
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| statement | I/you/he/she/it/we/they had ('d) been writing... |
| negative | I/you/he/she/it/we/they had not (hadn't) been writing... |
| question | Had I/you/he/she/it/we/they been writing...? |
Use
| Use | Example | Helpful hints |
|---|---|---|
| Actions continuing up to, or stopping just before, a moment in the past | We'd been doing grammar exercises for over an hour, so we were really bored! They had a break because they'd been working so hard. |
The past perfect continuous is often used with the following words and phrases: • for • since • before • all day/night/etc |
Watch out!
• The past perfect simple often emphasises the result of an action:
✓ She'd written an article for the school newspaper. (= She'd finished it.)
• The past perfect continuous often emphasises the action, and the time spent on the action, rather than the result:
✓ She'd been writing an article for the newspaper. (= She'd started, but she hasn't finished it.)
• The past perfect simple often emphasises the result of an action:
✓ She'd written an article for the school newspaper. (= She'd finished it.)
• The past perfect continuous often emphasises the action, and the time spent on the action, rather than the result:
✓ She'd been writing an article for the newspaper. (= She'd started, but she hasn't finished it.)
Exercise A
A Score: 0/7
Complete using the correct past perfect simple form of the verbs in brackets.
1
By the time I arrived, everyone __________ (leave)!
had left / 'd left
2
Steve __________ (already / see) the film, so he didn't come with us to the cinema.
had already seen / 'd already seen
3
Tina __________ (not/finish) doing the housework by seven o'clock, so she called Andrea to tell her she would be late.
had not finished / hadn't finished
4
__________ (you/just/speak) to Billy when I rang?
Had you just spoken
5
The car broke down just after __________ (we/set off).
we had set off / we'd set off
6
I didn't eat anything at the party because __________ (I/already / eat) at home.
I had already eaten / I'd already eaten
7
__________ (you / hear) about the accident before you saw it on TV?
Had you heard
Exercise B
B Score: 0/7
Choose the sentence (A or B) which means the same as the first sentence.
1
We'd had dinner when Wendy arrived.
B
2
I read the book after I'd seen the film.
A
3
By the time Dad came home, I'd gone to bed.
A
4
She didn't go to bed until her mum had come home.
B
5
Mr Banks hadn't arrived at the office by the time I got there.
A
6
They'd bought the plane tickets before they heard about the cheaper flight.
A
7
The girls had tidied the house when the visitors arrived.
B
Exercise C
C Score: 0/5
Write sentences using the prompts. One of the verbs must be in the past perfect simple.
1
we / just / hear / the news / when / you / ring
We had just heard the news when you rang.
2
I / already / think of / that / before / you / suggest / it
I had already thought of that before you suggested it.
3
when / I / turn on / the TV / the programme / already / start
When I turned on the TV, the programme had already started.
4
she / be / hungry / because / she / not / eat / anything / all day
She was hungry because she hadn't eaten anything all day.
5
by the time / I leave / school / I / decide / to become / a musician
By the time I left school, I had decided to become a musician.
Exercise D
D Score: 0/6
Look at the pictures and complete the sentences. Use the correct form of the past perfect continuous.
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
She was tired because __________ (run).
she had been running / she'd been running
2
They were hot because __________ (dance).
they had been dancing / they'd been dancing
3
The garden was flooded because __________ (it/rain/all night).
it had been raining all night / it'd been raining all night
4
Did they crash because __________ (drive / too fast)?
they had been driving too fast / they'd been driving too fast
5
When I arrived, __________ (they / wait / for over half an hour).
they had been waiting for over half an hour / they'd been waiting...
6
When I got there, __________ (they / not / wait / long).
they had not been waiting long / they hadn't been waiting long
Exercise E
E Score: 0/6
Choose the correct answer.
1
I'd only _____ the washing-up for a few minutes when Clare came home, so she offered to finish it.
B
2
Had you already _____ James his birthday present when we gave him ours?
A
3
Gail hadn't _____ me that she would help me, so I wasn't angry when she didn't.
A
4
Mum had _____ her cup of tea for several minutes before she realised it had salt in it!
B
5
We'd _____ ready all day when they called to say the party had been cancelled.
B
6
It was a fantastic experience because I'd never _____ in a plane before.
A
Exercise F
F Score: 0/10
If a line is correct, write 'v' (or 'tick'). If there is an extra word in a line, write the word.
1
This morning my exam results finally had came. I'd been expecting
had
2
them for the last week. I knew I'd been done quite well, but I was
been
3
still nervous as I had opened the envelope. Before I'd had a chance to
had
4
look at them, my sister ran up and pulled them out of my hand! She
v / tick
5
had read them out one by one. 'English A, maths A, biology A,
had
6
French A... ' This was the news I'd been waiting for. I'd got As in
v / tick
7
every subject - even geography, which I hadn't been making sure
making
8
about! When Mum and Dad heard the news, they immediately started
v / tick
9
been shouting with joy. By the time I'd had breakfast, Mum had
been
10
already called Grandma and Grandpa and had yet told the neighbours!
yet
Học tiếp bài khác
Xem tất cả Grammar B1
Thấy chỗ nào chưa đúng trong bài này?
Đáp án sai, lỗi chính tả, nội dung thiếu… hãy đăng nhập rồi báo cho chúng tôi để sửa cho các bạn học sau.