A. Grammar background
1. Form of the past perfect
The past perfect is formed with the past tense of the verb have and the past participle (V-en).
- By the time I arrived at the airport, I had eaten all my snacks.
- Mary was an expert. She had played guitar for many years.
- The pizza was on the table. The kids had not eaten it yet.
Remember that the auxiliary verb have can be contracted. Sometimes it can be hard to hear.
- By the time I arrived at the airport, I‘d eaten all my snacks
- Mary was an expert. She‘d played guitar for many years.
2. Meaning of past perfect
We use the past perfect to talk about something that happened (or didn’t happen) before another time in the past. For example, in the sentence below, the speaker is talking about a time in the past when she never saw snow. That happened before she lived in the United States.
- Before I lived in the United States, I had never seen snow.
In the next example, past perfect is used to show that Mary forgot to lock the front door before she left the party.
- Mary left the party ten minutes ago, because she had forgotten to lock her front door. She was afraid someone might steal her things.
3. Use of past perfect
Sometimes you can use past perfect to talk about things in the past with a prepositional phrase with by and a time such as by Tuesday, by the end of the trip, etc. Simple past is used after the prepositional phrase with by, and past perfect is used in the other clause. For example:
- By the time I arrived at the airport, I had eaten all my snacks.
We do NOT use past perfect to talk about a normal sequence of events. Simple past is used to talk about events that occur in a normal (sequential) order. For example:
- First, I got up. Then I drank some coffee. Then I took a shower. Next, I went to work.
- NOT: First, I had gotten up. Then, I had drunk some coffee. Then, I had taken a shower.
In this song, there is a story about a man who makes a lot of money at a young age.
- First, listen to the song once. Do you hear some verbs in the past perfect? Write down any verbs that you hear. How many did you hear?
- Now listen again and fill in the blanks below with past perfect forms. Some of them are already done for you.
Cool Million
By the time he was 21, ____________________________ his first cool million
He had a house on the waterfront by 21
And don’t you know ____________________________ a fortune on the internet
He was the envy of all he met
He spent his days lying in the sun at 21
By the time he was 32, he thought ____________________________ all there was to do
He thought he‘d seen all there was to see by 32
You know, already he ____________________________ all around the world
And he had diamonds and gold and pearls
He thought he‘d done all there was to do by 32
But he was lonely, he was lonely, he was lonely, he was alone
By the time he was 43, ____________________________ up his own family
He had a wife and a small baby by 43
And don’t you know, ____________________________ his business to a younger man
He said, “I’m starting with a brand new plan;
I’ve got my whole life in front of me at 43.” When he was 43…
C. After you Listen
1. Practicing meaning
Look at the following lines from the song. Why do you think past perfect is used here?
- By the time he was 21, he‘d made his first cool million
- He thought he‘d seen all there was to see by 32
- You know, already he had sailed all around the world
Look at the following lines from the song. Some verbs are in simple past. Why do you think simple past is used in these lines instead of past perfect?
By the time he was 21, he’d made his first cool million
He had a house on the waterfront by 21
And don’t you know he’d made a fortune on the internet
He was the envy of all he met
He spent his days lying in the sun at 21
2. Practicing use
a. With a friend
What have you accomplished over the years? Write sentences with past perfect to complete the following statements. The words “the time I was” are optional.
- By (the time I was) seven, I…
- By (the time I was) twelve, I…
- By (the time I was) fifteen, I…
- By (the time I was) ___, I…
Then ask your friend questions about his or her accomplishments. You can ask your questions like this:
- What had you done by (the time you were) seven?
b. Writing activity
Draw a timeline of important events in your life. Start with the year you were born. Then write a short essay in which you tell the story of the important events. Try to use a few sentences with the phrase by + time… and past perfect. But be careful! Remember, when you narrate a story with a normal sequence of events, you should use the simple past. Past perfect is not used very often in English.
Lyrics to "Cool Million"
(Don’t look until you’ve completed the activities!)
Past perfect is underlined
By the time he was 21, he‘d made his first cool million
He had a house on the waterfront by 21
And don’t you know he’d made a fortune on the internet
He was the envy of all he met
He spent his days lying in the sun at 21
By the time he was 32, he thought he‘d done all there was to do
He thought he‘d seen all there was to see by 32
You know, already he had sailed all around the world
And he had diamonds and gold and pearls
He thought he‘d done all there was to do by 32
But he was lonely, he was lonely, he was lonely, he was alone
By the time he was 43, he‘d started up his own family
He had a wife and a small baby by 43
And don’t you know, he‘d sold his business to a younger man
He said, “I’m starting with a brand new plan;
I’ve got my whole life in front of me at 43.” When he was 43…
Answers to "Cool Million" exercises
1. Practicing meaning
Look at the following lines from the song. Why do you think past perfect is used here?
- By the time he was 21, he‘d made his first cool million
Here is a sentence referring to the past with a prepositional phrase with “by” plus a time. Notice that simple past is used in the clause with “by” and past perfect is used with the other clause. Past perfect is used in the second clause because making a million dollars occurred before another point in the past – turning 21-years-old. - He thought he‘d seen all there was to see by 32
This is another sentence with a “by” prepositional phrase that refers to a time (“by 32”). Past perfect is used with it because seeing everything occurred before another point in the past – turning 32-years-old. - You know, already he had sailed all around the world
In this sentence, there is no prepositional phrase with “by,” but there is a context for past perfect. The event of sailing around the world occurred before turning 32. The word “already” tells us that this event in the past occurred before the second past even of turning 32.
Look at the following lines from the song. Some verbs are in simple past. Why do you think simple past is used in these lines instead of past perfect?
By the time he was 21, he’d made his first cool million
He had a house on the waterfront by 21
And don’t you know he’d made a fortune on the internet
He was the envy of all he met
He spent his days lying in the sun at 21
All of these events occurred simultaneously with being 21, not before. He owned the house, was envied by people, and spent his days lying in the sun at the time of turning 21, not just before that point.
