Past Perfect Tense Rules With Examples
Hello friends! In the previous notes we have understood about Past indefinite and continuous tense. Today we will learn in detail about the next type of Past tense which is Past Perfect Tense. So let’s understand : Past Perfect Tense Rules With Examples
What is Past Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Tense : When an action has been completed in the past, that is, there is a sense of completion of an action in the past, then it is called Past Perfect Tense. Let us understand this in detail with the help of examples :
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| He had written a story. | I had drunk milk. |
| She had purchased a new book. | We had won the match. |
| Pooja had sung a song. | They had finished their homework. |
Friends! These examples reveal the following things :
- You find that the IIIrd form of the verb is used after the Helping Verb in all the above sentences.
- And only one of its helping verb – Had appears to be used. Whether it is a singular subject or a plural subject.
One thing is clear from these examples that Had as a Helping Verb and IIIrd form of Verb are used in Past Perfect Tense. Keep this thing in your mind. Let us now understand how we can use Past perfect tense :
Important Rules of Past Perfect Tense :
To understand Past Perfect Tense first, keep in mind the following rules.
- This tense has only one helping verb — had which is used for both singular and plural subjects.
- Always keep in mind that the IIIrd form is always used in Perfect tense whether it is Present perfect or Past perfect.
You can understand it better from the table given below :
| Helping Verb : | Had |
| Main Verb : | IIIrd Form of Verb |
| Subjects | Helping Verb | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | He, She, It and Single Names | had |
| Plural | I, We, You, They and Plural Names. | had |
Friends! Past Perfect Tense has very simple rules. Keeping these in mind, we further try to understand the structures of all four types of sentences that are formed in the past perfect tense.
Types of Past Perfect Tense :
Friends! The following four types of sentences are made in Past Perfect Tense :
- Affirmative or Simple Sentence
- Negative sentence
- Interrogative Sentence
- Interrogative Negative Sentence
Affirmative Sentences | Simple Sentence :
Follow the structure given below to create Simple Sentence of Past Perfect Tense :
| For Singular and Plural : | Subject + had + IIIrd Form of Verb + Object + Others. |
For Example :
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| He had stolen my pen. | I had received a joining letter. |
| She had visited the school. | We had joined Army. |
| It had destroyed. | You had prepared for the examination. |
| Yuvraj had committed this mistake. | They had sent an application to Minister. |
| Rani had read a book. | Ram and Shyam had finished their home work. |
Negative Sentence :
Use “not” immediately after helping verb – Had in Negative and follow the structure given below to create Negative Sentence of Past Perfect Tense :
| For Singular and Plural : | Subject + had + not + IIIrd Form of Verb + Object + Others. |
For Example:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| He had not stolen my pen. | I had not received a joining letter. |
| She had not visited the school. | We had not joined Army. |
| It had not destroyed. | You had not prepared for the examination. |
| Yuvraj had not committed this mistake. | They had not sent an application to Minister. |
| Rani had not read a book. | Ram and Shyam had not finished their home work. |
Interrogative Sentence :
In the interrogative, use Had before the subject and keep the remaining structure as it is. Finally, put question mark. Follow the structure given below to create interrogative Sentence of Past Perfect Tense :
| For Singular and Plural : | Had + Subject + IIIrd Form of Verb + Object + Others ? |
For Example:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Had He stolen my pen ? | Had I received a joining letter ? |
| Had She visited the school ? | Had We joined Army ? |
| Had It destroyed ? | Had You prepared for the examination ? |
| Had Yuvraj committed this mistake ? | Had They sent an application to Minister ? |
| Had Rani read a book ? | Had Ram and Shyam finished their home work ? |
Interrogative Negative Sentence :
Because of the interrogative, put “Had” before the subject and “not” immediately after the subject. Put the question mark at the end of sentence and follow the structure given below to create interrogative negative Sentence of Past Perfect Tense :
| For Singular and Plural : | Had + Subject + not + IIIrd Form of Verb + Object + Others ? |
For Example:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Had He not stolen my pen ? | Had I not received a joining letter ? |
| Had She not visited the school ? | Had We not joined Army ? |
| Had It not destroyed ? | Had You not prepared for the examination ? |
| Had Yuvraj not committed this mistake ? | Had They not sent an application to Minister ? |
| Had Rani not read a book ? | Had Ram and Shyam not finished their home work ? |
Golden Structure For Past Perfect Tense :
Friends! The golden structure of past perfect tense is as follows :
| Subject + | H.V. (had) | M.V. (IIIrd Form) | Object + | Others. |
Some Important Uses of Past Perfect Tense :
1. When an action has already been completed before some point in the past, Past Perfect Tense is used such as :
- You had lived India before 2001.
- Ram had already left for Delhi.
2. When two actions have been completed in the past, the action which was done earlier is written in the past perfect tense and the action later done in the past indefinite tense. It uses before or after. like :
- The doctor came after the patient had died.
- She had gone to office before you came.
3. Past perfect tense is also used with if, as if, as though to indicate the “impossible” in conditional sentences, such as :
- She would have sung a song if you had told her.
- If I had finished my home work, Teacher would not have punished me.
Thus friends! Past Perfect Tense is the easiest tense of all types of tense. This Tense is very easy to remember and understand. In this, you do not need to follow different helping verb and structures for singular and plural. Hopefully your concept is very clear today.
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