Past perfect tense

  The past perfect tense is used to indicate an action that was completed before another action or event in the past. It is formed by using the past tense of the auxiliary verb "to have" (had) followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here's a detailed lesson on the past perfect tense along with its rules and 

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<script type="text/javascript" src="//www.topcreativeformat.com/ebed95bd54c4b51348754ca143252ffe/invoke.js"></script>examples:

### Formation:

- **Affirmative:** Subject + had + past participle

  - Example: She had finished her homework before dinner.

- **Negative:** Subject + had not (hadn't) + past participle

  - Example: They hadn't visited the museum before yesterday.

- **Interrogative:** Had + subject + past participle

  - Example: Had you ever been to Paris before last summer?

### Rules for Using the Past Perfect Tense:

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1. **Actions Completed Before Another Past Action:** The past perfect tense is used to indicate that one action was completed before another action took place in the past.

   - Example: By the time we arrived, they had already left.

2. **Describing Unfinished Time Before Another Past Action:** When talking about a period of time that ended before another past event, the past perfect is used.

   - Example: She had studied English for two years before she moved to the United States.

3. **Narrating in Past Stories:** When narrating past events, the past perfect tense is often used to describe events that happened before the main events of the story.

   - Example: By the time Jack woke up, his wife had already made breakfast.

4. **Expressing Regret or Wishing About the Past:** The past perfect tense can be used to express regret or wishing that something had happened differently in the past.

   - Example: I wish I had known about the party. (But I didn't know, and now I regret it.)

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5. **Using "Before" and "After" Clauses:** When using clauses with "before" or "after," the action that happened first is expressed in the past perfect tense.

   - Example: After she had finished her work, she went for a walk.

### Signal Words:

- before, after, already, by the time, until, had, just, never, ever, yet, so far

### Example Sentences:

1. She had never seen such a beautiful sunset before.

2. By the time they arrived, the concert had already started.

3. He had finished his homework before he went out to play.

4. She hadn't visited her hometown since she left for college.

5. Had you ever traveled abroad before last year?

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Most common pharasal verbs and their meanings

 

What Are Phrasal Verbs?

Simply put, a phrasal verb is the combination of a verb with another word or two from a different grammatical category. It could be an adverb, a preposition, or in some cases even both.

The idea is that the words from the other grammatical categories enhance the verb in some way by adding some more information. The idea is that the phrasal verb takes the place of a single verb to describe a similar idea, by simply adding more information for the reader or listener. Remember, a verb’s meaning is simple enough to remember if you just remind yourself that all verbs are ‘doing words’ i.e. they show action in some way. We’ll take a look at the different types of phrasal verbs below so you can understand this idea better.

Common Phrasal Verbs with Meanings

• Act up – to misbehave or malfunction
• Add up – to make sense or calculate
• Back off – to move away or retreat
• Blow up – to explode or become angry
• Break down – to stop working or have an emotional collapse
• Bring up – to mention or raise a topic
• Call off – to cancel or postpone
• Carry on – to continue
• Catch up – to reach the same level or make up for lost time
• Check in – to register or arrive at a hotel
• Clean up – to tidy or make something clean
• Come across – to encounter or find
• Come up with – to think of or invent
• Cut off – to disconnect or stop something
• Do over – to repeat or redo something
• Drop off – to fall asleep or decrease
• Eat out – to dine at a restaurant
• Figure out – to understand or solve a problem
• Fill out – to complete a form or document
• Get along – to have a good relationship or cooperate
• Give in – to surrender or yield
• Go ahead – to proceed or allow
• Hang out – to spend time together
• Hold on – to wait or retain something
• Keep up – to maintain or continue
• Knock out – to defeat or make unconscious
• Lay off – to terminate employment or stop doing something
• Look after – to take care of or be responsible for
• Make up – to reconcile or create something
• Pass out – to faint or distribute something
• Pay back – to repay or return a debt
• Pick up – to collect or improve
• Put off – to postpone or delay
• Run into – to meet unexpectedly or collide with
• Set up – to arrange or establish
• Show up – to arrive or appear
• Stand by – to support or remain loyal to someone
• Take over – to assume control or responsibility
• Think over – to consider or reflect on something
• Turn down – to refuse or decrease
• Use up – to consume or deplete
• Wait on – to serve or attend to
• Watch out – to be careful or alert
• Work out – to exercise or resolve a problem
• Write down – to record or note something.