ESL, English, Grammar, Past Perfect

1. Past Perfect
Simple & Continuous forms

2. Read the sentence & guess
what had happened in
each scenario

3. Example 1:
The policeman arrested Thomas.
Why did Thomas get arrested?
Answer: Thomas had stolen a car and some money.

4. Example 2:
Ben apologized to the museum director had had to pay $5,000.
Why did Ben apologize and pay the museum so much money?
Ben had been taking a photo and he had broken a vase.

5. When Kara met her son for lunch,
she didn’t recognize him.
Why hadn’t Kara recognized her
own son?

6. He had shaved off the beard he
had for 10 years.

7. Anna called her boyfriend, Mark, to break up with him?
Why?

8. Anna had fallen in love with
her colleague, and she no longer
loved Mark.

9. Dan looked in the fridge at work, and he looked unhappy.
Why was Dan so unhappy?

10. Someone had eaten Dan’s lunch.

11. Lucy was shocked as she read the letter in her hand.
What had happened?

12. Lucy had failed to get accepted
into university.

13. The Park family were looking very tired and sad at the airport.
Why were they so sad?

14. They had missed their flight home.

15. Julia stood and argued with the immigration officer at the airport.
Why was Julie upset?

16. She had forgotten her passport.

17. Daisy didn’t go and see the new Brad Pitt film at the cinema with
all of her friends.
Why did Daisy skip the movie?

18. She had read a terrible review about
the film on the internet.

19. Liz didn’t want to drink any wine at the restaurant last night.
Why did Liz refuse the wine?

20. She had driven her car. She didn’t
want to drink & drive.

21. John never studies, but he passed all of his exams!
How did John do this?

22. He had paid his teacher money to
see the answers before the exam.

23. Janet passed all of her exams easily.
How did Janet pass her exams?

24. She had studied every day for
two months before the exam.

25. Rachael went outside to run, but she came home walking slowly.
Why was Rachael walking and not running?

26. Rachael had sprained (twisted) her
ankle.

27. David started to dance when he left work today.
Why was David dancing?

28. David had achieved his sales target.