2
LESSON
Past perfect
GRAMMAR
STUDY
Past Perfect
The light
had
just
turned
yellow when the car entered the intersection.
Had
the drivers
gotten out
of their cars before the ambulance arrived? Yes, they
had
.
What
had
Marcos
heard
before Lena got to work?
He
had heard
sirens.
●
Use the past perfect to show that one action happened earlier than another.
●
The past perfect is more common in written English than in spoken English.
Grammar Note
PRACTICE
A
Complete the paragraph. Use the past perfect of the verbs.
I was driving on Oak Street when a car turned in front of me from a side street.
The driver
1. not see
me because there was a van parked on the corner.
He
2. turn
so quickly that I couldn’t avoid hitting him. I looked for witnesses,
but no one
3. see
the accident. Fortunately, the insurance company
determined it was the other driver’s fault. I
4. drive
down Oak Street
hundreds of times before. But since then, I have avoided that street.
B
Complete each sentence. Write one verb in the simple past
and the other verb in the past perfect.
1.
The police officer
ask
us if we
exchange
insurance information.
2.
Fortunately, the pedestrian
cross
when the car
drive
into the crosswalk.
3.
The insurance company finally
get
back to me after I
call
them three times.
4.
When the accident
happen
, he was very relieved that he
not bring
his children that day.
5.
How long
you
own
the car before the accident
happen
?
6.
I
hear
that intersection was dangerous, so I
be
very careful there.
PAIRS
Take a moment to draw or make notes about a car accident (imaginary or from your
experience). Describe the accident to your partner. Use the simple past and the past perfect.
Statements
Questions
Answers
hadn’t seen
asked
had exchanged
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
UNIT 3
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