Use had + past participle when you are already talking about a past moment and need to go further back, to something that happened before it.
A Going further back: had + past participle
Mia and Tariq were both at the same barbecue on Saturday, but they never saw each other. Tariq left at nine o'clock. Mia arrived at half past nine.
So when Mia arrived, Tariq was not there. He had gone home.
had gone is the past perfect. The form is had + past participle (gone, seen, finished, eaten and so on):
| Subject | had | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| I / we / you / they | had (I'd, we'd, you'd, they'd) | gone |
| he / she / it | had (he'd, she'd, it'd) | seen, finished |
The story has a starting point in the past: Mia arrived at the barbecue. To talk about something that happened before that point, use the past perfect: When Mia arrived, Tariq had already gone home. The past perfect is, in effect, the past of the past. It requires a story to be under way before it can be of any use.
- When we got back from holiday, we found that the freezer had stopped working.
- Ellie didn't come to the panto with us. She'd already seen it.
- At first I thought I'd sent the right file, but then I realised I'd sent my shopping list.
- The man next to me on the ferry looked very pale. He hadn't been on a boat before.
- He'd never been on a boat before.
B Present perfect and past perfect
The present perfect (have seen) looks back from now. The past perfect (had seen) looks back from a moment in the past.
| Present perfect | Past perfect |
|---|---|
| Who's that man? I've met him before, but I can't think where. | I didn't know who he was. I'd met him before, but I couldn't think where. |
| We're not hungry. We've just had a sandwich. | We weren't hungry. We'd just had a sandwich. |
| The car is filthy. They haven't washed it for months. | The car was filthy. They hadn't washed it for months. |
- I've read this book before. (looking back from now)
- I'd read the book before, so I knew how it ended. (looking back from a past moment)
C Past simple and past perfect
The past simple (left, was) puts events in the order they happened. The past perfect (had left, had been) shows that something happened before the moment you are describing.
| Past simple | Past perfect |
|---|---|
| "Was Ollie at the pub when you got there?" "Yes, but he left shortly after." | "Was Ollie at the pub when you got there?" "No, he'd already left." |
| Zara wasn't in when I called round. She was at her gran's. | Zara had just got in when I called round. She'd been at her gran's. |
- When the alarm went off, I got up. (first the alarm, then I got up)
- When the alarm went off, I had already got up. (I got up first)
Exercises
15.1 Read each situation and write a sentence using the words in brackets.
There was broken glass all over the kitchen floor. (A cup / fall / off the shelf)
A cup had fallen off the shelf.
A cup had fallen off the shelf.
The children in the back seat were very excited. They had never seen the sea. (They / not / see / the sea / before)
They hadn't seen the sea before.
They hadn't seen the sea before.
You went back to your old school for a reunion. It looked completely different. (It / change / a lot)
It had changed a lot.
Your friend told you a joke. You didn't laugh, because you knew it already. (I / hear / it / before)
I'd heard it before.
You asked Bethan to come walking on Sunday, but she couldn't. (She / promise / to help her dad)
She'd promised to help her dad.
You got to the station two minutes late. (The train / already / leave)
The train had already left.
Last summer we went to Norway. It was our first visit. (We / not / be / there / before)
We hadn't been there before.
You bumped into your old neighbour in town. You were surprised, because it was such a long time since you last met. (I / not / see / her for ten years)
I hadn't seen her for ten years.
You offered your guests some cake, but they said no. (They / just / have / dinner)
They'd just had dinner.
Josh went ice skating yesterday and fell over about forty times. It was his first time on the ice. (He / never / skate / before)
He'd never skated before.
15.2 The events are listed in the order they happened: (a) before (b), (b) before (c) and so on. Your paragraph does not begin with (a), so sometimes you need the past perfect. Complete the paragraph.
Events: (a) Somebody left the gate open during the night. (b) We got up in the morning. (c) We went out to look for the dog. Paragraph: We got up in the morning and found that somebody had left the gate open during the night. So we went out to look for the dog.
We got up in the morning and found that somebody had left the gate open during the night. So we went out to look for the dog.
Events: (a) Imran went to work early this morning. (b) I knocked on his door. (c) Nobody answered. Paragraph: I went round to Imran's this morning and knocked on his door, but . to work early.
I went round to Imran's this morning and knocked on his door, but nobody answered. He'd gone to work early.
Events: (a) Fiona came back from Portugal a few days ago. (b) I saw her the same day. (c) She looked very brown. Paragraph: I saw Fiona a few days ago. just back from Portugal. very brown.
I saw Fiona a few days ago. She'd just got back from Portugal. She looked very brown.
Events: (a) Hollie lent Marcus fifty pounds. (b) He never paid it back. (c) Yesterday she saw him in a brand new car. (d) She was annoyed. Paragraph: Yesterday Hollie in a brand new car. annoyed. fifty pounds, but .
Yesterday Hollie saw Marcus in a brand new car. She was annoyed. She'd lent him fifty pounds, but he'd never paid it back.
15.3 Put the verb into the correct form, past perfect (I had done) or past simple (I did).
Nadia wasn't at the office when I arrived. She'd gone (She / go) to a meeting.
Nadia wasn't at the office when I arrived. She'd gone to a meeting.
I was soaked when I got home, so (I / have) a hot bath.
I was soaked when I got home, so I had a hot bath.
The flat was dark when I got in. Everybody (go) to bed.
The flat was dark when I got in. Everybody had gone to bed.
Ruth has lived all over the world. When I first met her, (she / already / live) in eight different countries.
Ruth has lived all over the world. When I first met her, she'd already lived in eight different countries.
Sorry I'm late. The bus (break) down outside the hospital.
Sorry I'm late. The bus broke down outside the hospital.
We were walking along the canal when (we / see) a swan which (get) caught in some fishing line, so (we / call) the RSPCA.
We were walking along the canal when we saw a swan which had got caught in some fishing line, so we called the RSPCA.