Basics of the Past Perfect. 45 questions on form and sequencing two past events.
What this test covers
- Had + Past Participle Form
- Earlier of Two Past Events
- Before, After & When with Past Perfect
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1He ___ his homework before he went to bed.
Answer: C. had finished
We use 'had' + the '-ed' form of the verb (had finished) to show that one thing happened before another thing in the past. Here, finishing homework happened first, then he went to bed.
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Q2They ___ that movie before last week.
Answer: A. hadn't seen
To say something did not happen before a specific time in the past, use 'hadn't' + the third form of the verb (seen). The choice 'didn't saw' is incorrect because we do not use 'did' with the past tense 'saw'.
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Q3___ you eaten lunch before you went to the meeting?
Answer: C. Had
To ask a question about something that happened before another past event, start with 'Had'. We use 'Had' because the main verb is 'eaten' (the third form). Using 'Did' would require the base verb 'eat'.
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Q4We ___ at the station when the train finally left.
Answer: B. had arrived
We use 'had arrived' to show that we were already at the station before the train left. 'Arrive' is for the present, and 'were arriving' describes an action in progress, not a completed one.
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Q5I ___ never visited Paris before last year.
Answer: D. had
When talking about an experience before a specific time in the past (last year), we use 'had'. 'Have' is for the present, and 'did' doesn't work with the past form 'visited' in this type of sentence.
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Q6The guests ___ left when I finally got home.
Answer: D. had
Use 'had' to show the guests were already gone before you arrived. 'Were left' would mean someone left the guests there like objects, and 'did' is not used with the past form 'left' here.
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Q7She ___ already cleaned the kitchen when her mom arrived.
Answer: D. had
We use 'had' with 'cleaned' to show the cleaning was finished before the mom arrived. 'Was' or 'did' do not fit with 'already cleaned' to show one past action happening before another.
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Q8Had they ___ the tickets before the show started?
Answer: A. bought
After 'Had' in a question, we must use the third form of the verb. 'Bought' is the correct form for 'buy'. Words like 'buying' or 'buys' do not work in this 'Had' structure.
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Q9The rain ___ stopped before we went out.
Answer: A. had
Use 'had' to show the rain finished before the second action (going out). 'Has' is for the present, but this sentence is entirely in the past ('went out').
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Q10I ___ not read that book until my friend gave it to me.
Answer: A. had
Use 'had' to show a situation that existed before your friend gave you the book. 'Had not read' means the reading didn't happen in the time before you received the gift.
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Q11They ___ forgotten their keys, so they couldn't enter.
Answer: B. had
They forgot the keys first, then they couldn't enter later. To show the 'first' action in the past, use 'had' + the third form of the verb (forgotten).
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Q12Had he ___ to the teacher before the exam started?
Answer: D. spoken
When using 'Had' to ask about the past, use the third form of the verb. 'Spoken' is the third form of 'speak'. Words like 'spoke' (simple past) or 'speaking' are incorrect here.
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Q13We ___ not finished our work by 5 PM yesterday.
Answer: B. had
To talk about a deadline in the past (5 PM yesterday), use 'had not'. This shows the work was not complete at that specific moment.
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Q14She ___ written the email before she left the office.
Answer: A. had
She wrote the email first, then she left. To show the first action, use 'had' + 'written'. 'Was' or 'do' do not work with 'written' to describe this sequence.
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Q15They ___ lost their map before they reached the city.
Answer: D. had
Losing the map happened first. Use 'had' to show that this action happened before the second action (reaching the city).
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Q16When the teacher entered, the students ___ stopped talking.
Answer: C. had
Use 'had' to show that the students stopped talking before the teacher walked in. If you use 'were', it sounds like someone else stopped the students.
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Q17She felt nervous because she ___ never flown before.
Answer: C. had
She felt nervous in the past because, in the time before that moment, she had never been on a plane. We use 'had' to talk about experiences leading up to a point in the past.
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Q18I couldn't open the door because I ___ lost my key.
Answer: B. had
Losing the key happened first, which caused the problem later. Use 'had' + 'lost' to show this earlier event.
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Q19He was hungry because he ___ not eaten lunch.
Answer: D. had
He didn't eat lunch (first action), so he was hungry later. Use 'had not' to describe the earlier event. 'Did' would require the word 'eat' instead of 'eaten'.
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Q20The park was empty because everyone ___ gone home.
Answer: C. had
Use 'had' to show that people went home before the speaker arrived at the park. 'Were' is incorrect because 'gone' needs 'had' to show a completed action.
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Q21She recognized him because she ___ met him before.
Answer: A. had
The meeting happened a long time ago, and the recognizing happened later in the past. Use 'had' to show the very first event.
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Q22I was late because the bus ___ already left.
Answer: B. had
The bus left first, then I was late. Use 'had' + 'left' to talk about the action that happened first.
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Q23He was sad because he ___ failed the test.
Answer: B. had
Use 'had' to show the reason (failing the test) happened before he felt sad.
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Q24The house was quiet because the children ___ fallen asleep.
Answer: B. had
The children fell asleep first. Use 'had' with 'fallen' (the third form of fall) to show this happened before the person noticed the house was quiet.
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Q25We were happy because we ___ passed the exam.
Answer: D. had
Passing the exam happened first, which made us happy later. We use 'had' to show this order of events.
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Q26Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. She had eaten lunch before she went to work.
In this sentence, 'had eaten' happened first, and 'went' happened second. We use the 'had' form for the earliest action and the simple past (went) for the next action.
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Q27Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. By the time I arrived, the party had already ended.
'By the time I arrived' tells us when something else was already finished. Since the party ended first, we use 'had already ended'. 'Have' is incorrect because it is for the present.
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Q28Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. I had seen that film before you recommended it.
Use 'had seen' for the first event and 'recommended' (simple past) for the second event. Using 'have recommended' is wrong because it mixes the present and the past.
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Q29Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. After he had finished, he left the room.
Finishing happened first (had finished), then he left (left). 'Had finishing' and 'had leave' are not correct English forms.
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Q30Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. When they arrived, the meeting had already begun.
The meeting started before they arrived. Use 'had' + the third form 'begun'. 'Beganed' is not a real word, and 'has' is for the present.
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Q31Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. After they had bought the house, they painted it.
Buying happened first (had bought), then painting happened second (painted). Using 'had painting' or 'have painted' is grammatically incorrect in this past story.
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Q32Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. By the time he got home, his brother had gone to bed.
The brother went to bed first. We use 'had gone' for the action that was already finished. 'Has gone' is for the present, and 'was gone' doesn't fit here.
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Q33Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. She had cooked dinner before her husband came home.
Cooking happened first (had cooked), and the husband arrived second (came). 'Has come' is present tense, so it doesn't fit in a story about the past.
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Q34Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. When the police arrived, the thief had run away.
The thief left before the police arrived. Use 'had run' for the earlier action. 'Runned' is not a word, and 'has run' is for the present.
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Q35Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. After she had taken a shower, she felt fresh.
The shower happened first (had taken), and then she felt fresh (felt). We only need to use 'had' for the first action in the sequence.
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Q36Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. When I arrived, the film had already started.
The film started first. Use 'had' + the third form 'started' for the earliest action. 'Was start' and 'has started' are incorrect here.
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Q37Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. She had finished her tea before she went out.
Finishing tea happened first (had finished). Going out happened second, so we use the simple past 'went'. 'Has gone' and 'go' are incorrect in this past sequence.
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Q38Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. My brother had already left when I got home.
The brother left first. Use 'had already left' to show this. 'Has' is for the present, and 'was already leave' is not correct English.
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Q39Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. After they had arrived, they had dinner.
Arriving happened first (had arrived). Having dinner happened second, so we use the simple past 'had'. 'Have' and 'has' are for the present.
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Q40Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. He didn't know the answer because he hadn't studied.
He failed to study in the time before the test. Use 'hadn't studied' for this earlier cause. 'Didn't studied' is incorrect because 'did' must be followed by the base verb 'study'.
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Q41Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. By the time we reached the cinema, the movie had started.
The movie started first. Use 'had started' for the action that was already finished when you reached the cinema.
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Q42Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. He had seen the building before it was destroyed.
After 'had', use the third form of the verb, which is 'seen'. 'Sawing' is for cutting wood, and 'see' is the base form.
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Q43Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. She was tired because she had worked all day.
Working happened before she was tired. Use 'had worked' for the earlier action. 'Has worked' is for the present and does not match the past word 'was'.
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Q44Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. When they called, I had already left.
Leaving happened before the phone call. Use 'had already left' for the first event. 'Have' is for the present, and 'was already leave' is incorrect.
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Q45Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. He had eaten lunch before the meeting began.
After 'had', you must use the third form of the verb. 'Eaten' is the correct third form of 'eat'. 'Ate' is only for the simple past.
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