PAST PERFECT VS. SIMPLE PAST

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

I had been to London.(past perfect)

I went to London last week.(simple past)

TIMEFINISHED

UNFINISHED

SIMPLE PAST PAST PERFECT

I went to London I’d been to London last week. before.

Specific time:- yesterday General experience.- last summer- 2 months ago

WHEN DO WE USE SIMPLE PAST?

1) Actions that are not connected with present.The Titanic sank in 1912.2) Actions in the past that are chronologically ordered.He came in, sat on the sofa and started waiting.3) Repeated actions in the past (= used to).I took English courses when I was twelve (= I used to

take English courses).4) When after talking about general experience we give

details (when we have to be SPECIFIC and answer questions like WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW?).

I’ve been to London this month. I stayed in a big hotel. I visited Trafalgar Square and bought some souvenirs.

WHEN DO WE USE PAST PERFECT?

1) When we talk about an action which happened before another past action or before a stated time in the past

They had already reserved the table when they went to the restaurant.

(they reserved the table first and then they went to the the restaurant).

WHEN DO WE USE PAST PERFECT?

2) Actions that are finished in the past but the results are visible in the past.

Jane had injured her legs in a car accident, so he used a wheelchair for 6 months.

(the action finished in the past and its result was visible in the past too.)

WHEN DO WE USE PRESENT PERFECT?

3) With the expressions:

BeforeAfterAlreadyFor SinceJustTill/untilWhenByBy the timeNeverEtc.

HOW DO WE MAKE PRESENT PERFECT FORM?

Affirmative sentences:

Subject Auxiliary Verb Past Participle

IYou We

They

had seen

HeSheIt

had seen

HOW DO WE MAKE PRESENT PERFECT FORM?

Negative sentences:

Subject Auxiliary Verb Past Participle

IYou We

They

hadn’t (=had not)

seen

HeSheIt

hadn’t (=had not)

seen

HOW DO WE MAKE PRESENT PERFECT FORM?

Interrogative sentences:

Yes, I had. No, we

hadn’t. Yes, he had. No, she

hadn’t.

Auxiliary Verb Subject Past Participle

HadI

you we

they

seen?

Hadhesheit

seen?

PAST PARTICIPLE FORM OF VERBS

see go

cut eat

work catch

leave arrive

feed make

bring give

drink do

buy teach

PAST PARTICIPLE FORM OF VERBS

see seen go gone

cut cut eat eaten

work worked catch caught

leave left arrive arrived

feed fed make made

bring brought give given

drink drunk do done

buy bought teach taught

LET’S PRACTICE A LITTLE!

1. I ……… (see) that film before.2. We ………. (read) three English books in

class.3. My mother ……….. (be) to London.4. John ………… (borrow) four CDs from me

and he did not give them back to me.5. The children ………… (eat) breakfast before

they went to school.6. You ………… (drink) all the coffee by 10 am.7. The film ………….. (start) when we arrived

at the cinema.

MANAGED TO

We use managed to if we are talking about what happened in a particular situation or are referring to a specific achievement in the past.

Affirmative:Tom managed to pass his driving test on the

first tryNegative: Patty did not (didn’t) manage to finish the

test so she failed.Question:Did you manage to find Jane at the concert?

OTHER EXAMPLES

Did you manage to speak to him before he left home? ~ No, I'm sorry, I didn't manage to reach him.

The fog came down and didn't manage to get to the top of the mountain.

EXCEPTIONS However, with verbs that refer to the five senses, see, hear,

smell, feel, taste, and with verbs that refer to thought processes, understand, believe, remember, decide, think we normally use could, even when we are talking about specific occasions:

He was standing very close to me and I could smell the garlic on his breath.

He asked me when Julie's birthday was, but I couldn't remember.

I couldn't decide whether to ask him for a lift or not.

I could see that he'd been running.