70 Past Perfect Tense Examples Sentences, Structure, and Rules

This article of English Vedas Blog will cover 70 Past Perfect Tense sentences with examples, formula, structure, and rules. The worksheet will aid students in making Past perfect sentences easily.

What is Past Perfect Tense?

The Past Perfect Tense is used to express an action that had been completed before another action started.

For example,

Seema went to a birthday party last Sunday. Ravi also went to the party, but they didn’t meet each other. Ravi went home at 9:30, and Seema arrived at 10 o’clock.

When Seema arrived at the birthday party, Ravi wasn’t there. He had gone home.

For example,

“If the girl had helped the specially-abled boy, God would have blessed her.”

Rules of Past Perfect Tense

1. When two actions take place in the past, the Past Perfect Tense is used with the earlier action.
2. The Past Perfect Tense is used in sentences when they contain words like – still, before, already, etc.
3. The Past Perfect Tense may also be used to express an unfulfilled condition in the past.

Structure and Formula of the Past Perfect Tense

Knowing the structure and formula of the past perfect tense is important when creating sentences in English. Here is the formula for the past perfect tense.

Subject + had + past participle + the rest of the sentence

Let us learn how to use the structure of the past perfect tense in a positive, negative, interrogative, and negative interrogative sentence.

Structure of the Past Perfect Tense

Positive	Negative	Interrogative	Negative Interrogative
Subject + had+ past Participle (verb) + the rest of the sentence	Subject + had+ not+ past Participle (verb) + the rest of the sentence	Had + subject + past participle (verb) + the rest of the sentence?	Had + subject + not + past participle (verb) + the rest of the sentence?
He had kept the chocolates in the refrigerator before his brother came.	He had not kept the chocolates in the refrigerator before his brother came.	Had he kept the chocolates in the refrigerator before his brother came?	Had he not kept the chocolates in the refrigerator before his brother came?

Examples of Past Perfect Tense Sentences

1. I didn’t know who he was. I had never seen him before.
2. When you arrived at the cinema, the film had already begun.
3. We weren’t thirsty. We had just drunk juice.
4. Neha’s house was dirty. She hadn’t cleaned it for days.
5. Johny was not at home when you went to his house.
6. The books were not on the table. Somebody had arranged them on the shelf.
7.  Kevin didn’t buy that book because he had already read it.
8. A girl walked into the room. I had not met her before.
9. Priya had gone to the shop before it closed.
10. The boys had played cricket in the park before it started raining.
11. I had visited my cousins before they moved.
12. I had done my homework when Ann came to see me.
13. Sue phoned after you had left.
14. They had never seen such a beautiful lake in their lives.
15. I had just had my lunch when Tom arrived.
16. Sarah had lived in Canada before she settled down in London.
17. By 9 p.m., they had finished their work.
18. The mechanic came after I had repaired the car.
19. You had read the book before you went to sleep.
20. By 10 a.m. Dennis had smoked four cigarettes.
21. Sam had just gone to bed when the doorbell rang.
22. I had never been to Mexico.
23. By the time Ravi arrived at the party, everyone had begun dancing.
24. Charlie had never visited a zoo until his father took him one day.
25. Tina failed the exam because she had not studied at all.
26. Sita had known about that incident.
27. I had bought a new sweater before my aunt gave me one.
28. Rony had eaten all the chocolates before Maria entered his room.
29. Joy had ridden a horse before he rode a camel.
30. I had worn a new dress at the party.
31. I had not washed the clothes until you came home.
32. They had gone out when you called.
33. He had eaten an apple before he went to school.
34. Ram had not seen a rhinoceros until he went to a zoo.
35. You had read the book before you gave it to your friend.
36. Maya had written several books before she became an author.
37. She had already been to the market before I asked her.
38. We had been friends for years before we decided to get married.
39. He had learned French for two years before he went to France.
40. Rohan has met that celebrity before, so he was not excited.
41. He had applied for leave when his mother was hospitalized.
42. The police had caught the thief before he ran away.
43. Jack and Jill had studied together before they went to play.
44. When I reached home, I realized I had forgotten to buy mangoes from the market.
45. I had cut the potatoes before I fried them.
46. Diane had ironed the shirts before she kept them in the cupboard.
47. There was a lot of snow outside because it had snowed earlier that day.
48. When George met Robin, he had joined the army.
49. Her cat had died two weeks ago. She was very sad.
50. I had kept the novel on your table yesterday.
51. I had given that pencil box as a gift before.
52. Ram had completed his work by Wednesday.
53. Sue had not seen the program on TV until last night.
54. His new classmate wasn’t intelligent, as he had expected.
55. She had just left the meeting room when her boss arrived.
56. They had eaten lunch.
57. Meena had lost her phone.
58. We had seen that man before.
59. Smita had bought a new car.
60. She had visited England.
61. She had broken her leg.
62. He had worked for six hours before he took a break.
63. She had written many books.
64. They had been friends for years before they got married.
65. He had cut the tree last week.
66. Sita had fed the cat before going out.
67. He had spent all his time with his grandparents.
68. His father scolded him because he failed in the exam.
69. Rohit had studied in the library before he came to the class.
70. You had learnt to play the guitar before you joined the music class.

Also Read

1. Present Perfect Continuous Tense 50 Best Examples and Formula
2. Use of Present Perfect Tense in 50 Sentences: Example, Formula and Structure.
3. Developing Reading Habit in Students: 6 Simple Tips
4. Mastering the Past Perfect Continuous Tense: 30 Example Sentences and Exercises to Boost Your Grammar Skills