54 English Grammar Demystifi ed
The addition of the helping verb had shows that Jackie ate alone before someone
invited him to join a group.
Written Practice 3-2
In each of the following sentences, indicate the present or past perfect tense by
inserting a helping verb where needed. The fi rst one is done for you.
- Before I fi nished my second dessert, my mother brought the main course.
Before I had finished...- I took yoga for three years before I heard about Pilates.
- I never saw a vineyard before I went to California.
- If you remembered your diet plan, you defi nitely would not have started
with dessert! - I chose the menu, but I still didn’t take the blame.
- Bill said, “If you screamed, I would have come running.”
- I owned a small car for years before I actually needed to save on gas.
- My niece participated in the Iron Man Competition for several years before
she stopped running. - I worked at ABC Management for four years before I received a promotion!
- Eli and Eleanor ate at that restaurant many times before it closed.