More on the Past Perfect

By: Sean Savoie

A bit of review, for people who are struggling to better understand the past perfect and did not see the previous lesson, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that the past perfect has only one time meaning; it always means "before then". This is much easier than the present perfect, which has four possible time meanings. The bad news is that the "then" idea in the past perfect can keep changing. For example, if I tell a story about what I did last week, the actions in the story may move through time. Let me give you an example of a short story or anecdote that somebody may discuss when talking with a friend. Then we will analyze the story to better understand the time relationships:

Example Story:

1. Last week I got back from vacation on a Saturday afternoon. 2. It had been quite a long week. 3. By the time I got back into the U.S, I had seen four major cities. 4. I went to Rome, Vienna, Prague, and Istanbul. 5. Later that Saturday I was scheduled for a dinner date and was exhausted. 6. I had spent most of the day unpacking. 7. I also needed to get my mail from a neighbor, get my dog at my sister’s house, and respond to so many messages on my cellphone. 8. By 7p.m. I had used up all my energy. 9. I saw my friend and told him how much I had done that day. 10. He told me to relax and enjoy dinner. 11. About three hours later I was stuffed and a bit drunk. 12. We had had a five course meal and I was ready for bed. 13. I took a taxi home as I had done in the past. 14. I got home. 15. Suddenly I realized that I had left my keys at my friend’s home in my sweater pocket. 16. Wow! What a day that was!

In the above paragraph, noticed that I used only simple past and past perfect verbs. I could have used other verb tenses, but I wish to isolate the simple past from the past perfect to simplify the difference between the two tenses.

Because the past perfect is used primarily to clarify the sequence of events, English speakers usually choose to use the simple past when the time relationship is known. But in the paragraph above, the time idea shifts often, making the use of the past perfect ideal. If we analyze the above paragraph sentence by sentence, we can more clearly see when the past perfect is useful.

1. Simple past indicates the idea "then".

2. Past perfect shows that action is before he got back, "before then".

3. Complex sentence, first past tense and then past perfect, the idea of got back is still "then".

4. Simple past but indicates "before then" by assuming the listener clearly understands. In this situation the past perfect could be used, but the traveling, or "then" idea is already clearly expressed.

5. Simple past used to express the next "then" idea. The time in the story shifts.

6. Past perfect is used to express "before then" in relation to the new "then", which is the dinner.

7. All past tense, but used to indicate "before then". The past perfect is not needed because the time idea is obvious to the listener, especially by the use of the word "also".

8. Prepositional phrases using "by", then the past perfect. 7 p.m. becomes the new "then".

9. To past tense verbs indicate the new "then". Past perfect expresses "before he told his friend".

10. Simple past.

11. "Three hours later" establishes the new "then".

12. Compound sentence with the past perfect and then the simple perfect. It is OK to combine these verb tenses in a compound sentence. However, when listing events that are all "before then", the first verb is often the only one in the past perfect.

13. Another compound sentence with simple past expressing the new "then", followed by the past perfect, which indicates "before that taxi ride".

14. Another compound sentence as in number 13, the expression "suddenly realized" expresses the new time idea of "then".

15. Simple past. The author could have used the past perfect, but rather chooses to express the entire day as simply "then".

The past perfect is, in fact, a seldom used verb tense in American English conversation. This is true for two reasons. First, it is only really necessary to use past perfect when a clear sequence of events must be carefully expressed. When people relate stories to other people, the exact sequence of events is often irrelevant. Secondly, even when relating a sequence of events, use of the subordinating conjunctions "before" and "after" can make the sequence equally apparent. Also, even without the use of these words, a logical sequence is often obvious to the listener and the simple past is equally clear. Keep in mind the basic rule: when a simple tense is clear, there is no need to use a more difficult verb tense. Think of it as the verb tense rule of conservation.

Therefore, when practicing the past perfect, use it only when very necessary. Students who study the past perfect too often overuse it. This can sound very strange to a native speaker of English. In order to prepare to tell a short story of something that happened to a friend, it is good practice for a student of English to write down and practiced telling at least five interesting or humorous situations that have happened in one's life. Use detail. Ask a native English speaker to make sure that your story has completely correct grammar so that you do not practice making the same mistake many times. Having a story that you can tell repeatedly, improving on the story each time you tell it, is an excellent way to develop natural conversation skills.

When telling a story, is often necessary to explain what other people said. And now that we have studied the simple past, past continuous, and past perfect, it is an excellent time to begin to practice reported speech. Both intermediate and advanced students of English should take a look at the next issue of the New York Community Times to see if there is some useful grammatical information for you regarding reporting the speech of others. Until then, have an excellent week!