Level 4 Unit 9 -
Past perfect / present perfect / past progressive / simple past

Select the correct answer from the choices given

The Past Perfect compared to other tenses.


The Past perfect is used to relate two actions closely.
The following do NOT use the Past perfect

He had breakfast before he went to work.
or
He went to work after he had breakfast
These use the simple past and they just say one action came after the other

If you use "when", however, you get:
He went to work when he had had breakfast.

There is usually something of a cause and effect relationship in sentences like this.

He got wet because he had forgotten his umbrella
They fired him; he had given company secrets to another firm.

Don't forget the past progressive (there are examples in this exercise) is used for a continuing action at some specific time:

He was interviewing an applicant at 10 o'clock this morning.
I was trying to pursuade a client to buy a computer when it crashed!

The present perfect (look out for it in the exercise) is used in unfinished time.
I haven't seen John this week.

and sometimes (especially with "just") for something very recent;

I've just spoken to him on the phone.
I see there's just been another financial crisis on Wall Street!