Exercise 1
Past Perfect - Positive and Negative-Exercises
Make the positive or negative past perfect simple
1) When I arrived at the cinema, the film
2) She
(start).
(live) in China before she went to Thailand.
3) After they
(eat) the shellfish, they began to feel sick.
4) If you
(listen) to me, you would have got the job.
5) Julie didnt arrive until after I
6) When we
(leave).
(finish) dinner, we went out.
7) The garden was dead because it
8) He
(be) dry all summer.
(meet) her somewhere before.
9) We were late for the plane because we
10) She told me she
(study) a lot before the exam.
11) The grass was yellow because it
12) The lights went off because we
13) The children
(forget) our passports.
(not/rain) all summer.
(not/pay) the electricity bill.
(not/do) their homework, so they were in trouble.
14) They
(not/eat) so we went to a restaurant.
15) We couldnt go into the concert because we
16) She said that she
17) Julie and Anne
18) I
(not/bring) our tickets.
(not/visit) the UK before.
(not/meet) before the party.
(not/have) breakfast when he arrived.
19) He
(not/use) email before, so I showed him how to use it.
20) You
(not/study) for the test, so you were very nervous.
Exercise 2
Put the verbs into the correct form (Past Perfect simple).
A. My little brother ate all of the cake that I _____________________ (make).
B. The waitress brought a dish that we _____________________ (not / order).
C. Last night I couldn't get in because I _____________________ (forget) my keys.
D. When we arrived at the station, the train _____________________ (go).
E. They didn't have any money because they _____________________ (pay) all the bills.
F. We had a big party because we _____________________ (pass) all our exams.
G. I got to the cinema at 6.30 but fortunately the film ____________________ (not start).
H. I was exhausted because I _____________________ (study) too much.
Exercise 3:
Put the Past Simple or the Past Perfect.
1. When their mum _______________ (come) home last night, the children _______________ (eat) their dinner.
2. Yesterday I _______________ (see) a woman who _______________ (be) at school with my grandfather. Isn't it
strange?
3. It started to rain and I _______________ (remember) that I _______________ (forget)to close my bedroom
window.
4. I _______________ (find) a book that I ______ never _______________ (read)
5. We _______________ (try) to change the plane tickets but it was too late they ______ already ___________ (edit)
the boarding pass.
6. I _______________ (think) I _______________ (met) this girl before.
Exercise 4
Fill the gaps with the verb in brackets using the Past Perfect.
1. By the time we got to the cinema the film _________________ (start), so we missed the first five minutes.
2. When I rang the bell there was no answer. The neighbour told me that they __________________ (go) about half
an hour ago.
3. I saw New York for the first time last night. I __________________ (not see) it before.
4. There was so much to see in London. I ___________________ (plan) to see a lot of things but there wasn't enough
time. I'll have to come back.
5. If she _______________________ (take) my advice, it wouldn't have happened.
6. We wouldn't have had an argument, if they _______________ (not mention) politics.
7. If you _______________ (not park) there, you wouldn't have got a parking fine.
8. John told me he _______________ (buy) a new car.
9. When we arrived in Ireland, the airline company _______________ (lose) our luggage, so we had to wait two days
to get it back. Fortunately they delivered it to the hotel.
Exercise 5
Circle the correct answers:
1. I didn't recognise / hadn't recognised Sue, because she cut / had cut her hair.
2. I arrived / had arrived at the shop at 6.45, but it already closed / had already closed.
3. David didn't play / hadn't played the match because he hurt / had hurt his leg.
4. When I looked / had looked everywhere for my car keys, I started / had started to panic.
5. When he had finished / finished his dinner he sat down / had sat down to watch TV.
6. It was / had been a film I didn't see / hadn't seen before.
