Use the past perfect (had + past participle) for the action that happened first when two past actions are told together: When I reached the station, the train had left. The later action is in the simple past. Words such as already, by the time and never ... before often go with it. The answer key is at the end.
Learn the rules first: Present, Past and Future Perfect Tense: Rules and Examples
Practise online, with instant answers: Past Perfect practice test (Basic)
Past Perfect Tense Worksheet with Answers
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A. Past perfect forms
Write the past perfect form of the verb in brackets. Some answers have more than one word.
- By the time Meena reached school, the bell __________ (ring).
- Arjun __________ (already / eat) when his friends arrived.
- The thief __________ (run) away before the police came.
- I could not open the door because I __________ (lose) my key.
- She was sad because she __________ (fail) the test.
- We __________ (not / reach) the hall when the show began.
- Priya __________ (never / travel) by plane before that trip.
- The farmer __________ (sell) all his tomatoes before noon.
B. Join the sentences
Join each pair using the word in brackets. Use the past perfect for the action that happened first.
- Ravi finished his homework. Then he played cricket. (after)
- The guests left. Then we cleaned the house. (after)
- He missed the bus. He was late for school. (because)
- Meena was happy. She won the prize. (because)
C. Past perfect or simple past?
Circle the correct option.
- By the time Ravi woke up, his father (left / had left) for work.
- I (saw / had seen) the thief in the market yesterday.
- When the fire brigade arrived, the fire (already spread / had already spread) to the next house.
- We (reached / had reached) the station at six o'clock.
- She (never tasted / had never tasted) mango kulfi before that day.
- The teacher (entered / had entered) the room and everyone stood up.
- By the time we reached the theatre, the film (ended / had ended).
- Last Sunday, Priya (visited / had visited) her grandmother in Jaipur.
D. Correct the mistakes
Each sentence has one mistake. Write the sentence correctly.
- When I reached home, my mother has already cooked dinner.
- He had went out before I called him.
- She had never saw snow before that trip.
- The train had left when we have reached the platform.
E. Write your own
Write a sentence of your own, as asked.
- Write a sentence about something you had done before you came to class today. Use had.
- Write a sentence that begins "By the time" and uses the past perfect.
Answer Key
A. Past perfect forms
- had rung
- had already eaten
- had run
- had lost
- had failed
- had not (hadn't) reached
- had never travelled
- had sold
B. Join the sentences
- After Ravi had finished his homework, he played cricket. (or Ravi played cricket after he had finished his homework.)
- After the guests had left, we cleaned the house. (or We cleaned the house after the guests had left.)
- He was late for school because he had missed the bus.
- Meena was happy because she had won the prize.
C. Past perfect or simple past?
- had left
- saw
- had already spread
- reached
- had never tasted
- entered
- had ended
- visited
D. Correct the mistakes
- When I reached home, my mother had already cooked dinner.
- He had gone out before I called him.
- She had never seen snow before that trip.
- The train had left when we reached the platform.
E. Write your own
- Answers will vary, e.g. I had eaten my breakfast before I came to class today.
- Answers will vary, e.g. By the time we reached Pune, the shops had closed.