These past perfect tense exercises help you talk about something that happened before a specific point in the past. You can also download a PDF worksheet. The answers to the exercises are given on his page.

1. Exercise 1: fill in the blanks

Fill in the blanks with the past perfect tense of the verbs in parentheses.

1. His friends (leave) before he arrived.

His friends had left before he arrived.

2. He (already/visit) twelve different countries by the time he turned eighteen.

He had already visited twelve different countries by the time he turned eighteen.

3. My brother was not allowed to board the flight because he (forget) his passport.

My brother was not allowed to board the flight because he had forgotten his passport.

4. Jack told the police that he (meet) Sarah shortly before she died.

Jack told the police that he had met Sarah shortly before she died.

5. They used the holy water they (bring) from Lourdes to bless the house.

They used the holy water they had brought from Lourdes to bless the house.

6. After the soldiers (crucify) Jesus, they tore his clothes apart.

After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they tore his clothes apart.

7. John decided to break up with Alexia after she (cheat) on him many times.

John decided to break up with Alexia after she had cheated on him many times.

8. I wish I (forgive) him before he passed away.

I wish I had forgiven him before he passed away.

9. The terrorist (kill) three hostages before the police arrived.

The terrorist had killed three hostages before the police arrived

10. The suspect admitted that he (stab) the victim twice in the chest.

The suspect admitted that he had stabbed the victim twice in the chest.

11. One of the soldiers was punished because he (lose) his gun.

One of the soldiers was punished because he had lost his gun.

Score: 0 /19

2. Exercise 2: negative sentences

Complete each sentence with the past perfect tense of the verbs in parentheses.

1. Alex didn’t realise that his son (go) missing.

Alex didn’t realise that his son gone missing

2. He told me that he (never/see) a shark before.

He told me that he had never seen a shark before.

3. Until yesterday, I (not/be aware of) how dangerous energy drink could be.

Until yesterday, I had not been aware of how dangerous energy drink could be.

4. The pizza felt delicious because he (not/eat) anything all day.

The pizza felt delicious because he had not eaten anything all day.

5. She was nervous because she (not/sing) in front of a large audience for years.

She was nervous because she had not sung in front of a large audience before.

6. He asked me why I (not/buy) his car.

He asked me why I had not bought his car.

7. I (never/drive) a car regularly until I bought one.

I had never driven a car regularly until I bought one.

8. She was the only person who (not/post) anything about the trip on social media.

She was the only person who had not posted anything about the trip on social media.

9. When I called Moses, he (not/yet/hear) about the passing of his father.

When I called Moses, he had not yet heard about the passing of his father.

10. Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic (not/fight) each other until UFC 295.

Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic had not fought each other until UFC 295.

Score: 0 /19

3. Past perfect tense worksheet

Past perfect tense worksheet with fill-in-the-blanks exercises
Past perfect tense exercises

4. Answers to the worksheet

1. Manchester City had beaten Manchester United in the 2022 derby.

2. NASA had tested the Saturn V rocket on several Apollo missions before Apollo 11 landed on the Moon.

3. By the time the iPad was released in 2010, Apple had built a strong ecosystem around the iPhone and the App Store.

4. Lionel Messi had won seven Ballon d’Or awards by the end of 2021.

5. J. K. Rowling had written all seven Harry Potter novels by 2007.

6. Before South Africa’s 1994 democratic election, Nelson Mandela had spent 27 years in prison.

7. By 2003, the Human Genome Project had written and mapped almost the entire human genetic sequence.

8. Long before the COVID-19 outbreak, epidemiologists had spoken about the risk of a new global pandemic.

9. Before the web became popular, Tim Berners-Lee had developed the first web browser and web server at CERN.

How were the exercises? If you found them difficult, you may need to revise our lesson on the past participle of irregular verbs. You may also find these past perfect tense examples and grammar rules useful.

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