Past Perfect exercises

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Type 1: Multiple Choice (ABC)
Choose the correct option (A, B, or C) to complete each sentence.
1
They ___ (lose) their passports before they reached the border.
2
She ___ (send) the email before the internet went down.
3
I ___ (never/try) sushi before I visited Japan.
4
I ___ (never/try) sushi before I visited Japan.
5
He ___ (quit) his job before the company offered a raise.
6
We ___ (plan) the surprise party before she told us her trip was cancelled.
7
The cat ___ (hide) under the bed before the thunderstorm began.
8
She ___ (break) her glasses before the exam.
9
I ___ (not/understand) the question until the teacher explained it.
10
He ___ (repair) the bike before his sister needed it.
11
They ___ (never/hear) about the artist before the exhibition.
12
She ___ (drop) her phone before the screen cracked.
13
We ___ (not/book) the tickets before the prices went up.
14
The fire ___ (already/spread) before the firefighters arrived.
15
I ___ (fall asleep) before the movie even started.
Type 2: True / False Statements
Check the sentence. Select True or False.
1
She had left the office before the guests arrived.
2
They had wrote three articles before the deadline.
3
I had never eaten sushi before that night.
4
He had not saw the film before the discussion.
5
We had just finished lunch when the guests came.
6
She had forgot her umbrella at home.
7
The children had gone to bed before the fireworks started.
8
I had read the book before watching the movie.
9
They had broke the window before the teacher arrived.
10
My brother had already left when I got home.
11
She had sang the song many times before the concert.
12
We had visited the museum before it closed.
13
He had not completed the form, so they rejected his application.
14
I had flew to London before, so I wasn’t nervous.
15
They had prepared everything before the guests arrived.
Type 3: Fill in the gaps
Fill in the gaps using the correct form of the verb.
1
She the office before the meeting started.
2
I her before the wedding.
3
They the report before the manager asked for it.
4
The team five games in a row before they finally won.
5
He my name even though we had met before.
6
We where to go when the storm started.
7
She dinner when I arrived.
8
The guests before we got there.
9
I the book before watching the film.
10
She her ID, so she couldn’t enter the building.
11
He the competition twice before retiring.
12
We that movie already, so we chose a different one.
13
They the hotel in advance, so it was full.
14
I the email before I spoke to her.
15
The dog before we noticed the door was open.

How do you prepare for a Past Perfect test without stress?

Serious tests can mix up your thoughts, especially if you push too hard. However, if you select a methodical tactic and grasp grammar bit by bit, you can notice there is nothing to be afraid of. Reduce your worries before the test with easy and productive approaches:

  1. Learn an aspect at a time

    We advise you not to inspect all the particular English tenses simultaneously. It takes time to understand all the rules, which results in more mistakes and uncertainty. It is better to focus on one kind of sentence at a time. Start with positive sentences, move to negative, and create questions.

  2. Practice Past Perfect exercises with answers

    On our platform for learning English, you will find multiple drills that will give you enough practice to learn grammar and use it afterward. The drills with the answers will shorten the time between tasks and provide you with immediate feedback. 

  3. Select common and predictable drills

    Opt for tasks with an easy structure and good description to focus on sentence formation. In the next section, we will discuss the exercises that proved their effectiveness.

How often should you do Past Perfect practice to see real progress?

It takes time to use this tense with confidence. However, well-designed exercises and frequent reviews will help you memorize the rules. Let’s see how long the English learning process takes and the needed regularity:

Results  Frequency Past Perfect exercise

Basic knowledge 

Once every few days during a week.

Drills that help practice structure formation and match halves.

Accurate sentence formation

Several times a week during a two-week period.

Activities with story gap fill and error corrections. 

Confident usage 

A few times a week for a month. 

Narration, sentence writing.

Start with simple drills that will help you recognize the patterns and gradually move to more difficult ones to practice usage so that you can pronounce and write sentences correctly without long consideration. 

What are the top mistakes in Past Perfect activities?

Errors in spelling and sentence construction are unavoidable during the Past Perfect training. However, when you know about a mistake, you can prevent it from happening. Below, we highlighted the common ones:

  1. Using the Past Perfect for a single past action without comparison

Past Perfect is used to show an action that happened before another past action. If there’s only one event, simple past is enough.

Incorrect Correct
He had missed the train.
He had missed the train because it left early this morning.
They had seen that movie.
They had already seen that movie before it premiered on TV.

Tip: Ask yourself: “Is there another past event I’m comparing this to?” If not, use simple past.

  1. Using Past Perfect with the wrong time expressions

Time expressions like yesterday or last week alone don’t establish sequence. Past Perfect always needs a past anchor point.

Incorrect Correct
I had packed my bag last night.
I had packed my bag after dinner last night.
He had left the party yesterday.
He had left the party before the lights went out last night.

Tip: Time words like yesterday, last week, last night, or on Friday point to a single past moment, so they need a second past event to make Past Perfect meaningful. Without that anchor, use the Simple Past.

  1. Mixing Past Perfect and Present Perfect incorrectly

Present Perfect connects past actions to now, while Past Perfect connects one past action to another past action.

Incorrect Correct
He had failed twice before he has finally passed.
He had failed twice before he finally passed.
She had never loved anyone until she has met Tom.
She had never loved anyone until she met Tom.

Tip: Think about whether the action connects to the present or describes a sequence in the past. Use Present Perfect for now, Past Perfect for what happened earlier.

Once the purpose of the Past Perfect is clear, forming sentences with it becomes straightforward and intuitive.

How to make the Past Perfect quiz a daily habit?

Do you have the motivation to upgrade your English, but it is very demanding to be active every day? The pieces of advice you will find below can change your attitude:

Tip 1.   Start with a short session

Don’t immerse yourself in the grammar for hours. After a day of practice, you will forget a great deal of the nuances and will be tired of trying again. On the contrary, a time-limited workout will help you memorize a rule and won’t make finishing a Past Perfect tense test an exhausting process. 

Tip 2.   Choose engaging and interactive drills

You have the opportunity to study English by passing well-thought-out tests with real-life examples and answers in an entertaining way, instead of diving into old-fashioned worksheets with only theoretical questions. Grasping grammar can be enjoyable if you find the right approach.   

Tip 3.   Participate in challenges

Modern applications allow you to combine acquiring knowledge with fun, such as winning in tournaments, obtaining badges, and completing levels when doing a Past Perfect worksheet. It is easy to join a group activity when you need to learn for 10 minutes a day for a specific period. It will encourage you to continue your practice. 

Conclusion

By understanding the function of the Past Perfect tense, which is to show that one past action happened before another, you can avoid common mistakes and use it naturally in speaking and writing. Being mindful of time expressions, the order of words and contrasting between Past Simple and Present Simple tense will make your English more understandable and accurate.

Short and targeted practice sessions, including Past Perfect tense exercises with answers, quizzes, practical examples will guarantee the gradual improvement. Gradually adding complexity and repeating mistakes will solidify patterns and improve memorization.

Related Topics

Present Perfect Continuous Exercise
Present Perfect Continuous Exercises: Practice and Master
Present Perfect Exercise
Present Perfect Exercises: Practice and Master
Future Perfect Exercises
Future Perfect Exercises: Practice and Master