Unit 13
Past perfect
The past perfect tense tells us what happened before another past action. It is formed from the helping verb had + the past participle : first action second action As soon as the otters had landed the fish, they began to argue.
WB 5 p53
Past perfect
8 Read the paragraph below. Find five more examples of the past perfect tense .
As soon as the otters had landed the fish, they began to argue. They had not seen the fox, who was hiding behind a tree. His mate had asked him to fetch some fish for her. He had watched the otters closely when they jumped into the water. The first otter had struggled for some time before the second otter jumped in to help him. The fox had begun to feel very hungry as he watched them.
The past perfect and simple past are often used in the same sentence: After the fox had settled the dispute, he took the fish to his mate.
Past perfect
S imple past
9 Match 1–6 with A–F. Which action happens first in each sentence? 1 The fox went down to the river A when they began to argue. 2 After the otters had caught the fish B the fox ran away. 3 The otters had not seen the fox C after his mate had asked for fish. 4 The fox had settled the dispute D after the fox had taken their fish. 5 After he had tricked the otters E before he returned to his mate. 6 The otters felt angry F they dragged it to the bank. 10 Complete the paragraph with past perfect verbs. Fox was very pleased with his day. He had found ( 1 find) fish for his mate and he _______ ( 2 play) a trick on two quarrelsome otters. His mate _______ ( 3 be) very pleased with the fish. They _______ ( 4 share) it for their dinner. After dinner they _______ ( 5 sleep) for a while. They _______ ( 6 not see) the otters again.
• We can often use the simple past in place of the past perfect. Focus at this stage on getting students to recognise the tense and identify which action comes first in sentences which use both past perfect and past simple.
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