The Past Perfect Simple and the Past Perfect Continuous

Question 1

The Past Perfect Simple form is___?

Answer 1

had and the past participle (I had worked, I had written)

Question 2

When do we use The Past Perfect Simple?

Answer 2

• for an action that began before the time of speaking in the past, and was still continuing at that time or stopped at that time or just before it.
• for an action which stopped some time before the time of speaking
• past equivalent of the present perfect. (When I arrived Ann had just left.)
• past equivalent of the simple past tense and is used when the narrator or subject looks back on earlier action from a certain point in the past (I had just poured myself a glass of beer when the phone rang.)

Question 3

The Past Perfect Continuous form is___?

Answer 3

had been + the present participle (Verb in the –ing form) (I had been working)

Question 4

When do we use The Past Perfect Continuous ?

Answer 4

• For an action in the past perfect continuous continues up to, or beyond, the time of speaking in the past.
• to express the priority of an action to a given moment in the past.