Material Unit 2
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4. Past perfect
The past perfect refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned first - the tense makes it clear which one happened first.
We use the past perfect to talk about:
to talk about actions or situations in the past which happened before other actions or situations.
- When I got a call from Canada, I had almost forgotten about my application!
- I had already left the office before she arrived.
to talk about actions or situations which happened before a specific moment in the past.
- By the time he was twelve, Mozart had composed.
with the expression "it was the first / second / third time ...".
- It was the first time that I had visited Cuba.
For and Since.
We use for and since with the past perfect to indicate the duration of a past state or a past action
- I had been there for three days when James arrived.
- She had worked there since the previous summer.
You can find more information about the past perfect at: LearnEnglish, educationFirst.