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past perfect simple

Past perfect simple

Related language points

narrative tenses - general
past simple
past continuous
past perfect continuous

worksheets (6)

book references (10)

Worksheets

Past time expressions and tenses - board game

B1-B2

20-30 mins

groups: 3-4

board game

speaking cues

Board game with speaking cues for statements using past tenses with time expressions: When I got up this morning.... Until I left school, I'd never.... By the time I was 12.... etc.

Past perfect - explaining past situations OXO

B1-B2

Nine past simple statements (situations) that can be explained using past perfect sentences. Can be done as a noughts and crosses, a matching activity or pairwork

Past perfect tense -uses - analysis and examples

B1-B2

Worksheet on the use of the past perfect tense in English. Includes examples of the past perfect for referring back to earlier events and actions, for reported speech, for expressing wishes and regrets, and for forming past conditionals.

Past perfect simple and continuous - speaking practice

B1-B2

20-30 mins

groups: 3-4

Cut up. Students take it in turns to read out statements using the past simple: the house was a mess on Sunday morning. Others have to guess the reason using the past perfect: You'd had a party the night before.

Past perfect anecdote

B1-B2

gap fill

ordering

Cut up story (office impostor) and analysis

Past perfect oral practice - simple version

B1-B2

past perfect for explaining past events. One student reads a question - example, 'Why was David so tired yesterday?' Other students have to guess the same explanation using the past perfect.

Book references

Global Intermediate Coursebook

Unit 2 Lives and Legends Page 21 Past perfect & past simple

Inside Out Student's Book Intermediate

Unit 11 Journey Page 98

New Cutting Edge Pre-Intermediate students' book

Module 14 Money, money, money Page 126

New Cutting Edge Upper Intermediate students' book

Module 5 Unusual achievements Pages 54 - 55 Perfect tenses
Listening, analysis and follow-up exercises on present perfect simple, future perfect simple and past perfect simple

Intermediate Communication Games

29 - Detective work Page 29
Card game. Small groups. Past perfect Past simple Language for making deductions. Murder-solving game with clue cards.

Play Games with English Book Two

History quiz page 35 Page 35
What had happened when these historic photographs were taken? 'The Wright Brothers had just made their first flight.'

Observation 4 page 46 Page 46
Picture (1920s New York office) with anachronistic objects. Ss make sentences, 'Rock 'n' roll hadn't been thought of yet.'

Developing Grammar in Context

9 The past perfect Pages 47 - 52

Reward Intermediate Resource Pack

35 Psychic link Page 35
Jigsaw story dictation. Pairwork.

Reward Pre-Intermediate Resource Pack

40 Work it out Page 40
Six mystery puzzles of the dead-man-in-a-field-with-a-parachute-on-his-back kind. All contain examples of the past perfect.