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Don’t be thrown if you see past perfect conjugated as “had been eating.” It’s still the past perfect and the rules
still apply.
Past Perfect Usage: Indicates an action in the past that occurs before a second action and is completed.
- She had made the bed, before she went to school.
- They walked the dog after they had given it its doggy treats.
- By the time the principal quit, the school had gone to ruin.
before, after, until, and by the time are all clue words that the past perfect is needed.
Let’s pick apart the following sentence:
They walked the dog after they had given it its doggy treats.
First notice the “had given” - we have past perfect tense on our hands.
Past perfect must have two actions in the sentence, so ask: does the sentence have two past actions?
Yes - “walked” and “had given.”
Now ask, does one action happen before the other? Yes - they walked the dog AFTER they gave the treats.
The action that happens first in time belongs with the “had.”
- They gave the treats first so it should be “had given.”
- The action that happens second (walked) is always conjugated in the simple past.
#6: Future Perfect
How to Find: “will have” plus the past participle. – will have run, will have begun, will have eaten, will
have sung...(notice those “u” forms – don’t let them trick you and get away with “will have sang”).
Example: I will have sung
You will have sung
He will have sung
She will have sung
They will have sung
We will have sung
The insertion of the “have” differentiates the future perfect from the simple perfect.