Past Perfect Tense

USE 1 Completed Action ^Before Something in the Past

The past perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

USE 2 Duration ^Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With non-continuous verbs and some non-continuous uses of mixed verbs, we use the past perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.

^{*non-continuous verbs - These verbs are rarely used in continuous tenses. e.g. to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care...}