English is the key to a successful career in the modern world, successful travel to English-speaking countries, and in general such a skill will not hurt anyone. When studying English, it is important not to forget about grammar, namely about tenses. There are many times in the English language, however, in order to use this or that time correctly and appropriately, it is important not only to learn the rules, but also to learn to compare. For example, what is the difference between Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous? But when can you use only Past Perfect? All issues are discussed below. Translation examples are also provided.
Past perfect
It is used at a time when it is necessary to emphasize the presence of certain results at a time in the past time. Formula: had + a verb ending with -ed or a verb in the third form.
Let's look at examples of the options for using this time in the grammar of the English language. When talking about an action that happened before another event in the past or at a certain point in the past.
- They had just finished the report when their friend arrived. - They just finished the report when their friend arrived.
When talking about a specific action that ended in the past, the result of that completed action was noticeable in the past.
- She got the big bonus. She had bought 50 bottle of milk. - She got a big bonus. She bought 50 bottles of milk.
The following accompanying expressions are used at this time: just, already, when, after, before.
Past continuous
The elapsed time is long. It is used when it is necessary to indicate a process that lasted at a certain point in the past. When compared with Past Simple, in the past long, the moment of action is clearly indicated.
- When she arrived I was taking a shower. - When she arrived, I took a shower.
- When you called I was texting a message about next party. - When you called, I wrote a message about the next party.
As you can see from the example, time is built on to be in the past tense + Ving.
Past perfect continuous
A long time in the past. Used to emphasize the duration of a certain action in the past. Past Perfect Continuous Forms are presented below.
It is used to focus on the fact that the action had a duration that happened in the past before another action.
- She had been developing the product for 6 years before they launched this product. “She developed the product six years before they launched it.”
It is used to emphasize an action that continued for some time in the past so that the visible result from this action was also achieved in the past.
- They were disappointed. They had been dreaming about this event for 12 hours. - They were disappointed. They dreamed about this event for 12 hours.
Associated Expressions: for, how long, before, since.
Difference between Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous
In Past Perfect, the emphasis is on the result, but in Past Perfect Continuous, special emphasis is placed on the duration of the action in the past.
- She had translated 3 letters when her girlfriend arrived. - She translated 3 letters at the time when her friend arrived.
- She had been translating for 8 hours when her girlfriend arrived. She was already translating for eight hours when her friend arrived.
Analyzing the above examples, we see that in the first case, a person focuses on the result of his actions at a certain point, but time is not mentioned. That is, before us is Past Perfect. The second sentence focuses on time. And it is safe to say that Past Perfect Continuous was used. This is one of the most important features that should be remembered when studying these times in the English grammar.
What other features are in Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous? There are a lot of them.
For example, the verbs hope (hope), intend (want), want (want), plan (plan / organize) are used for use in Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous in order to draw attention to the fact that someone wanted what to do something, but did not.
When studying English, it is important to pay attention to detail. However, now all the details and features of Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous are known.