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LEVEL 1<\/h2>\n(Present) I am<\/strong> tired. I haven’t<\/strong> slept well.<\/p>\n Can you put this in the past?<\/p>\n (Past) Yesterday, I was<\/strong> tired. I hadn’t<\/strong> slept well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Remember Present<\/em> Perfect?<\/strong><\/p>\n In the present > We are at the cinema now but we are late, the film has started<\/strong>!<\/p>\n In the past > Yesterday, we went to the cinema. We were late, the film had started<\/strong>.<\/p>\n I arrived at the cinema but the film had started! =<\/strong> I was late<\/p>\n I arrived at the station but the train had left = <\/strong>I missed the train<\/p>\n I visited my friend last weekend. His children had grown<\/strong> a lot! = I was surprised<\/p>\n Something important happened in the past \/ There was a consequence in the past.<\/p>\n Each verb has three forms<\/p>\n For example : to do<\/p>\n Present perfect = have + past participle<\/p>\n The film has started<\/strong><\/p>\n = action happened in the past, consequence on present<\/p>\n Past perfect = had + past participle<\/p>\n The film had started<\/strong><\/p>\n = Action happened in the past, with a consequence on the past<\/p>\n The consequence was that\u00a0I missed the beginning of the film<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n LEVEL 3<\/p>\n Past simple<\/strong> = an action in the past :<\/p>\n I\u00a0 played tennis<\/p>\n Present perfect<\/strong> = the result (of an action in the past) in the present<\/p>\n I have played tennis (result = I know how to play, let’s start)<\/p>\n Past perfect<\/strong> = the result (of an action in the past)\u00a0in the past. <\/strong><\/p>\n I had seen him before = I knew his face from an earlier time, so I was scared, so I called the police!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To explain the past perfect, here are two actions- notice the order:<\/p>\n Action #1 happens first. \u00a0So in fact, I was late.<\/p>\n If the sentence was \u201cThe movie started and\u00a0I arrived\u201d, this means the actions happened at the same time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If we describe an event or tell a story in chronological order<\/strong>, then there is no confusion.<\/p>\n However, the order of the actions in the sentence can change what happened.<\/p>\n I arrived. The movie started.<\/p>\n So which action was first?<\/p>\n I arrived<\/strong>. The movie started.<\/p>\n Notice that this changes the order of actions.<\/p>\n To use this order with the correct sequence of events, we can use \u201cbefore<\/strong>\u201d:<\/p>\n The movie started before\u00a0I arrived.<\/p>\n I arrived. The movie started before.<\/p>\n These are correct! \u00a0However, the second sentence isn’t natural.<\/p>\n Note<\/strong>: sometimes it’s not clear what happened first.\u00a0 Not even logic can help – a context is needed or it can be confusing.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n He had sent her many letters but she had never replied.<\/p>\n She had never replied.\u00a0 He had sent many letters.<\/p>\n We can use a perfect tenses to express the result rather than the action.\u00a0 This describes something important \/ impact\/ consequence\/\u00a0result.\u00a0 It adds more meaning to the sentence.\u00a0 It could be emotion,\u00a0 or a status, or even another\u00a0 action – it’s up to interpretation.<\/p>\n With every perfect tense, there is a result.<\/p>\n In this case:<\/p>\n When I arrived, the movie had started.<\/p>\n The result = I was late. I was angry. I missed the start of the film.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I looked out of the window. It was sunny, but it had rained all night. (The ground was wet)<\/p>\n We arrived at the party on time but they had already cut the cake! (They hadn’t waited for us, they had forgotten us, we were annoyed)<\/p>\n Notice the use of \u201cbut\u201d and \u201calready\u201d to increase the impact.<\/p>\n When we arrived at the cinema, the film had started.<\/em><\/p>\n We arrived at the cinema but it had already started!<\/em><\/p>\n What is the result of this sentence?\u00a0 We don’t need to express it. \u00a0We can express it, but it is implied<\/em> (said without words).<\/p>\n If we use past simple all the time, this is correct, but it is not interesting language. \u00a0Often, people get bored with all the details and prefer to use their imagination.<\/p>\n It always depends on your audience and your intention.<\/p>\n We arrived at the cinema on time but it had already started!<\/em><\/p>\n As you tell this story, what happens next? Are you giving a lecture or having a conversation? A good conversation is an exchange, where people have chances to speak.\u00a0 Some prefer to listen, of course…<\/p>\n Let’s practice: complete the sentences with either past perfect<\/em> or past simple<\/em><\/p>\n I worked very hard. I __________ (be<\/strong><\/em>) very tired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I worked very hard. I was\u00a0<\/strong>very tired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orochinagi.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/past-perfect-01.png\")
<\/p>\nThe past perfect shows that an action happened before<\/strong> the past.<\/h2>\n
LEVEL 2<\/h3>\n
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![\"Ash](\"https:\/\/www.orochinagi.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/past-perfect-ash.jpg\")
The order of events<\/h2>\n
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If it’s confusing, why use a perfect tense?<\/h2>\n
![\"If](\"https:\/\/www.orochinagi.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/orochinagi-grammar-past-perfect.jpg\")
If it had not been for him = this shows STRONG consequence.If it wasn’t for him = same meaning but WEAK \/ NO consequence (+ action is in the past, not specifically before the past)<\/p>\nHow to interpret the result?\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n
Using the Past Perfect<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.orochinagi.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/maxresdefault-2.jpg\")
<\/a>Test<\/h2>\n