Past perfect: had done | English Grammar B1

Past perfect: had done

B1 — Verbs

The before-the-past tense: had + past participle (the train had left when we arrived); with when/after/by the time

I can sequence two past events with past perfect where the order matters.

The before-the-past tense: had + past participle (the train had left when we arrived); with when/after/by the time

Examples

By the time the firefighters arrived, the neighbours had already rescued the cat - and the barbecue. — By the time the firefighters arrived, the neighbours had already rescued the cat - and the barbecue.
I recognized the melody at once: I had heard it in my grandmother's kitchen a hundred times. — I recognized the melody at once: I had heard it in my grandmother's kitchen a hundred times.

VerbsB1

Past perfect: had done

The before-the-past tense: had + past participle (the train had left when we arrived); with when/after/by the time

Learning Goal

I can sequence two past events with past perfect where the order matters.

Exam Skills:B1 Preliminary ReadingB1 Preliminary Writing

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

By the time the firefighters arrived, the neighbours had already rescued the cat - and the barbecue.

By the time the firefighters arrived, the neighbours had already rescued the cat - and the barbecue.

I recognized the melody at once: I had heard it in my grandmother's kitchen a hundred times.

I recognized the melody at once: I had heard it in my grandmother's kitchen a hundred times.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Two past events, one earlier:

Earlier	Later
The train had left	when we arrived.
She had never flown	before that trip.

Form: had + past participle for every person. Signals: by the time, already, just, never... before, after. Use it only when the order matters: with explicit sequences (after he left, then...) past simple does the job. Contrast: When we arrived, the train left (it left at that moment!) vs had left (we missed it).