Past Perfect
The past perfect tense shows that one action was completed before another action in the past.
Formation
Subject + had + past participle
I had finished dinner before they arrived. She had already left when I called. They had never seen snow until they visited Canada.
When to Use
- Sequence in the past: When we arrived, the movie had already started.
- With time expressions: By the time he came, she had gone.
- Reported speech: She said she had finished the report.
Common Signal Words
already, yet, never, ever, just, by the time, after, before, until, when.