Past Perfect Tense Formula, Explained with Examples

(1) Positive Sentences:
[Subject + had + 3rd of the main verb + object]
Examples:

  • I had finished my homework before dinner.
  • She had visited her grandparents last week.
  • They had completed the project on time.
  • He had watched the movie twice.
  • We had seen that movie before.

(2) Negative Sentences:
[Subject + had not (hadn’t) + 3rd of the main verb + object]
Examples:

  • I had not seen him for years.
  • She hadn’t traveled abroad before last summer.
  • They had not studied for the exam.
  • He hadn’t finished his work by the deadline.
  • We had not met each other until yesterday.

(3) Interrogative Sentences:
[Had + subject + 3rd of the main verb + object + ?]
Examples:

  • Had you seen the movie before?
  • Had she finished her assignment on time?
  • Had they visited that place before?
  • Had he learned to play the guitar?
  • Had we talked about this issue?

(4) Interrogative Negative Sentences:
[Had + subject + not + 3rd of the main verb + object + ?] OR [Hadn’t + subject + 3rd of the main verb + object + ?]
Examples:

  • Had you not heard news already? (or) Hadn’t you heard the news already?
  • Had she not made a decision yet? (or) Hadn’t she made a decision yet?
  • Had they not seen that movie before? (or) Hadn’t they seen that movie before?
  • Had he not completed the task as required? (or) Hadn’t he completed the task as required?
  • Had we not discussed this matter earlier? (or) Hadn’t we discussed this matter earlier?

(5) Wh-Word form:
[Wh-Word + had + subject + 3rd of the main verb + object + ?]
Examples:

  • When had you finished your work?
  • How long had she been waiting for the bus?
  • Where had they gone for their vacation?
  • What had he done before coming here?
  • Why hadn’t we received the information earlier?

These examples provide a variety of sentence types using the past perfect tense. Remember to use the auxiliary verb “had” followed by the past participle of the main verb to form the past perfect tense.