What Is the Past Perfect Tense? (with Examples) Past Perfect Tense? The past perfect tense is used to emphasise that an action was completed before another took place. Examples of the Past Perfect Tense Here are some examples of the past perfect tense (bold):
- Silverfinger had taken the pill before the team reached him.
- (First: He took the pill. Next: The team reached him.)
- I had called the police before I investigated the noise in the garden.
- (First: I called the police. Next: I investigated the noise.)
- The weather changed, but the team had planned its next move.
- (First: The team planned. Next: The weather changed.)
Of course, you can also have the negative version, which is formed “had not” + “[past participle]”:
- Silverfinger had not taken the pill before the team reached him.
- I had not called the police before I investigated the noise in the garden.
- The weather changed, and the team had not planned its next move.
And the question versions:
- Had Silverfinger taken the pill before the team reached him?
- Had the team planned its next move before the weather changed?
Infographic for the Past Perfect Tense Here is an infographic explaining the past perfect tense: 
Forming the Past Perfect Tense The past perfect tense is formed: had + [the past participle] For example:
- I had jumped
- I had met
Forming the Past Participle (Regular Verbs) If it’s a regular verb, the past participle is the same as the simple past tense. In other words, it is formed like this: Add “ed” to most verbs:
- jump > jumped
- paint > painted
If a verb of one syllable ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the final consonant and add “ed”:
- chat > chatted
- stop > stopped
If the final consonant is w, x or y, don’t double it:
- sew > sewed
- play > played
- fix > fixed
If last syllable of a longer verb is stressed and ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the last consonant and add “ed”:
- incur > incurred
- prefer > preferred
If the first syllable of a longer verb is stressed and the verb ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], just add “ed”:
- open > opened
- enter > entered
- swallow > swallowed
If the verb ends “e”, just add “d”:
- thrive > thrived
- guzzle > guzzled
If the verb ends [consonant + “y”], change the “y” to an “i” and add “ed”:
- cry > cried
- fry > fried
Forming the Past Participle (Irregular Verbs) If it’s an irregular verb, the past participle is formed in all sorts of different ways. Here are some examples:
- arise > arisen
- catch > caught
- choose > chosen
- know > known
You just have to learn them. Using Contractions Don’t forget that in speech and writing (especially informal writing), you will encounter the following contractions:
- I had > I’d
- You had > You’d
- He had > He’d
- She had > She’d
- It had > It’d
- We had > We’d
- They had > They’d
Also, for the negative version, you will commonly see hadn’t instead of had not.
For Other Tenses click the Verb Tenses link below