Session 10: Past Perfect in Reported Speech
Usage
The Past Perfect Tense to express a past action that occurred either before another activity or before a point of time in the past.
Form
Hint
Use the Past Perfect Tense after 'AFTER'
Use the Past Perfect Tense before 'BEFORE'
EX:
She had cooked dinner before I got home.
I got home after she had cooked dinner.
Exercises for past pefect
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses (Past Perfect).
- By the time the train arrived, they ________ (already/leave).
- She ________ (not/finish) her homework when her friends came over.
- We ________ (just/eat) dinner when the power went out.
- After he ________ (clean) the house, he decided to relax.
- I couldn’t believe they ________ (forget) my birthday!
Exercises for using past perfect in reported speech
Direct: “I have finished my homework,” she said.
→ Reported: She said that ________.Direct: “We have never been to Paris before,” they told us.
→ Reported: They told us that ________.Direct: “He has already called me,” she mentioned.
→ Reported: She mentioned that ________.Direct: “I haven’t seen this movie,” he said.
→ Reported: He said that ________.Direct: “They have lived here for a long time,” she explained.
→ Reported: She explained that ________.