Author name: Vaikundamoni

IELTS Speaking Test : Mock Test

Mock IELTS tests and Practice Test for IELTS for Score Boosting

Part 1 – Introduction Q.  Good afternoon. My name is Kristina Pollock. Could I have your name please? A.  Good afternoon Madam. My name is Joseph Mark and my nick name is Mark. Q.  And your candidate number? A.  My candidate number is….. Q. Thank you. Now could you tell me a little about yourself and where do you live? A. Well, I’m Joseph Mark and I live at…. My father’s name is …. He is a Government service holder. My mother’s name is…. She is basically a housewife but sometimes she works at our shop. I’m 26 and I’ve finished my graduation from  …. University. My major was Mathematics. I’ve got 2 brothers and a younger sister. We live like a very happy family and my parents take great care of us. I’m doing a part time job at a local school as a Mathematics teacher. I’m planning to complete my M.Sc. from any reputed University of UK. My future plan is to teach in a college. I spend my leisure time surfing the internet and reading books. Sometimes I hang around with my friends on the lake shore. The place I live now is really charming and I love to live there. It’s not noisy and busy like other cities and I have got many friends there. I am maintaining a personal blog and there I try to add a post every week. This is basically a technology and Math related blog. Q. What are some of the nicest things about where you live? A. The place where I live in is a clam area and is very neat and clean. You will find it naturally beautiful and the lakes, gardens, fountain, river, hill and the songs of birds will take your heart away. Whenever my friends from other cities come to visit my area, they become awestricken! Our area is indeed a beautiful place to live in. The people are very nice and friendly and you would be very pleased with their charming behaviours if you visit there. The area is free of pollution as it not an industrial area and the fresh air would give a soothing feeling. The traffic on the road is good most of the time and you won’t have to worry about the public transportation as they are available around the clock. This area is famous for many historical sites and monuments like ……… and many tourists come to visit here every day. The tour guides are very nice and are maintained by Government. There are many restaurants there and you can pick one of your delicious menus from there and I am sure you will never forget the taste! People in our area lead simple yet friendly lives and they make friends easily. The crime rate is pretty low and as a small town we know other members of our area. I am sure if you visit our area once, you will simply love it. Q. Are there any places of special interest I could visit in your home area? A. The Gomez River and Roar Hills are two most beautiful places in our area. Thousands of tourists each month come to visit our area and these two places are main attractions for the tourists. Apart from that, some monuments of famous politicians, poets and renowned persons in the Family Square is one of the main attractions and it is worth visiting. The hill hiking, swimming and fishing are three most popular activities among tourists and I would recommend those activities to you. You will never get bored there and if you even slightly do, simply get yourself enrolled in the government managed tour plans for couple of days. This would give you a whole new chance to explore hills, rivers, forests and you would find challenges and enthralling experiences from there. Lastly, do not forget to taste our local foods and fruits. Take the chance to visit our area and I am sure you would start recommending your friends after that. IELTS Speaking Q. Could you describe some of them for me? A. The Gomez River is a long river that passes through our town. The water is crystal clear and you can see the fishes, corals and other objects inside it. The water is surprisingly warm and when you will look at it, you will be surprised to see all the fishes there. It is like a large aquarium. The reflection of the sky gives it a heavenly look and many people go there for picnic and fishing there. In the evening children and parents play in the fields beside the river and you can find some newly constructed motels and restaurants there. Swimming in this river is a popular activity among local people and tourists in the summer season. The Roar hill is another beautiful site in our area and it got its names from the roaring echo sound it creates. There are several hills there and they are over 300- 500 feet tall. The vista, illusionary sound of birds, the natural beauty and fountains give it a painted picture like looks. In the evening when the sun starts hiding behind the hills, people look at this out-of the-world scenery simply in amazement. Q. What would be the best way for me to get there? A. If you have private car with you, you can drive along the roads and reach there. From the city center, both of the destinations would be around 1 and half hour’s journey. Alternatively, you can take a public bus or hire a small car and reach there. The rent of the public transportation is fixed and you need not to pay any extra charge. If you enroll with the tour service provider, they will manage the plan, route and based on your preference, you can either share a zip or can take a private car for rent. The later one is comparatively expensive. Q. What sort of places could I stay at? A. You can stay at a tourist motel near the hills or can rent a hotel room in the city center. If you are visiting your family members, then villa near the hill road would be better alternatives for you. Almost every tourist motel provides meals facility. Q. Should I go at any special time of year? A. Most of the tourists come to our area during the summer season and I would recommend you to visit during summer as well. There are lots of activities you can do during this period and you will find the beauty of our city at that time. [ I see, this has all been very interesting.] Part 2 – Cue Card Topic:

Describe a problem that affects the environment in the area where you live.

You should say:
  • what the problem is
  • what causes it
  • what people feel about the problem
and explain what you think could be done to solve it. IELTS Speaking Part 2: IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card.
IELTS Speaking Test Part 2&3 Video

Describe a problem that affects the environment in the area where you live.

You should say:
  • what the problem is
  • what causes it
  • what people feel about the problem
and explain what you think could be done to solve it. Sample Answer: There are so many problem that negatively affects the environment in our area and among them the highly density of population in my opinion is the most severe one. While in many countries, less than 100 people live in one square kilometer, we have got around thousands of people living in one square kilometer. Because of this high population in a small city, lots of problems are arising. The expenditure to support living is quite high compared to the average earning of the people, a heavy traffic has become a common scenario in the roads and as a consequence, lots of time is killed every day. The lower economic people are not getting the proper education and hospital facility, crime has increase than ever, lots of unplanned and risky constructions have been established, the environment is getting polluted and seems like no one cares. There are many reasons that caused this outburst of this mass population in our city and among them the most influential reason is the centralization of industry in this city. Most of the factory, offices and organizations are located in this city and people from all area of the country are coming here to find a living. The unemployment in rural area is another reason why people are trying to stay here. The political reason not to take strict decisions on making equal opportunity in the country is another reason. The businesses and job opportunity attracts people to come and live here in this city. People can feel the heat of this uncontrolled population and the problems are creating for that but they have little control over it. We all suffer from the problems and talk about it but I have not seen any big movement to solve this problem. On the other hand the political leaders who can take initiatives to lessen the problem are sometimes corrupted to take appropriate and honest steps. There are lots of theories to solve this problem and seems like we all know about it. First of all decentralization should be done and industries and factories that can be moves to other areas should be moved. Proper education and job sectors should be ensured so that people can earn their living at their cities rather than coming here. Local government can be formed to support and improve each area of the country. Each local government should be able to invest and decide about the development projects in their area. People naturally want to live in a better place where they can find the necessary infrastructure, daily needs and can earn a living. If that can be ensured throughout the country, this problem can be reduced.

Part 3 – Two-way discussion:

Q. What causes environmental problems? Q. What should the government do to protect the environment? Q. What should we do to protect the environment? Q. What other measures can you think of to protect the environment? Q. How should we educate children to protect environment? Q. What’s the difference between the old and the young as regards environmental protection?

Similar Cue Card Topics

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would also enable you to talk about the following Cue Card Topics as well:
  1. Describe pollution in your city.
  2. Describe a problem you face in your city.
  3. Describe air or sound pollution in your city.
  4. Describe something you would like to change in your hometown.
Part 3 – Details Discussion [Now let’s go to real life and you…..] Q. Tell me, what do you think are the greatest problems facing your country at present? A. Economic development issue, political instability, unemployment and healthcare are the major issues most of the people in my country face. In my opinion these are the most burning issues and the greatest problems we have in our country. Q. And what has been done so far to solve these problems? A. The government has taken many initiatives for the economic progress of our country. According to the statistics, we are indeed progressing. But I am not convinced with the reported statistics. I want to see the result, I want to feel it. The political instability seems like consuming most of our good will and energy. While major political parties should have worked together to help improve our economic conditions, sometimes their actions give me real doubt whether they are the type of leaders we need for our country! IELTS Speaking Mock Test On the positive sides, government has emphasized on ICT sector, has made the export process easier for business people, established many training institutes to enhance the skill of the rural people and those are all hopeful signs. Someday definitely we will see the progress. Education, skill, foreign investment, job security etc. are also important areas where the government has invested a lot of money. The aim of this investment is to create a skilled and educated generation who would lead the economy and the country. The healthcare section is still an expensive area for the mass people and the government’s initiatives for establishment of new hospitals, enrolling more doctors and nurses are in reality very little compared to the actual need. Q. How successful would you say these measures have been? A. These measures are successful to some extent but if I present it in figures, it would only few percentages than the actual progress we expect. For instance: more than three thousands hospitals are required throughout the country whereas only 45 hospitals have been established in the last one year. Q. Do you think things are likely to get better or worse in the future? A. We hope that the problem we have in our country would be resolved in next few years. The government and other organizations are working hard to address these issues and we are noticing some progress. So we can definitely be positive and wait for the glorious days when we won’t have those issues. This was an optimistic idea and I possess this positive idea about my country. But the greatest obstacle is the hunger for power and our political parties often create haphazard situation for the power. This is the single reason that can degrade the situation in the future. Q. Is what you are going to study likely to be of any use to solve these problems? A. I am going to finish my graduation majoring Computer Science and I am very positive that it would directly or indirectly help eradicate unemployment, economic progress issues to some extent that I have talked about. After finishing my education, I would establish a small software company and hopefully one day it would grow to be a large company where thousands of employees would work. The ICT sector also helps earning foreign remittance for a country and I would also contribute to enhance the foreign remittance for my country. [Thank you very much. It’s been pleasant talking to you. I wish you success in your study program. Goodbye.]
 

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IELTS Speaking Practice test 1

IELTS Speaking Training at Lingua World Coimbatore

IELTS Speaking Practice test

In the Speaking test, you will have a discussion with a certified examiner. It will be interactive and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get.

The Speaking test is the same for both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests. This practice material is designed for two people working together. Find a study partner to help you practise. This might be a teacher or a friend. The Speaking test is 11-14 minutes long and is in three parts.
Part 1 You will answer questions about yourself and your family.
Part 2 You will speak about a topic.
Part 3 You will have a longer discussion about the topic introduced in Part 2.
  Take the three parts of this practice test one after another without a break to make your practice as realistic as possible. Remember, you need to speak fluently, clearly and accurately. It is important to say as much as you can and to be spontaneous. Do not prepare answers in advance. Record yourself if you can so that you can go back and check your performance.

Review your Speaking test

Listen to your recordings and discuss your test with your study partner. Think about how you spoke. Were you fluent? Did your speech sound natural? Were you able to express yourself clearly? Use the audio recordings and transcripts in each section to gain an insight into the test format. Note that these are not model answers, so do not try to imitate them. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQVWgnkIpuQ[/embed] There are no ‘answers’. You and your study partner will need to assess how well you do.

Speaking part 1

In part 1 of the Speaking test the examiner will introduce him or herself and ask general questions on familiar topics.

The examiner will ask you to confirm your identity. He or she will then ask general questions on familiar topics such as home, family, work, studies and interests. Part 1 of the test will last 4-5 minutes.

How to practise

You will need a study partner to practise the Speaking test. Ask your study partner to interview you using the questions below. Record yourself if you can.

Speaking test part 1: questions

Let’s talk about your home town or village:
  • what kind of place is it?
  • what’s the most interesting part of your town/village?
  • what kind of jobs do the people in your town/village do?
  • would you say it’s a good place to live? (why?)
Let’s move on to talk about accommodation:
  • tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in?
  • how long have you lived there?
  • what do you like about living there?
  • what sort of accommodation would you most like to live in?

Listen to the audio:

Left click on the link to listen now (the audio player will open in a new tab) or right click and select ‘Save Link As’ to download the file to your computer and listen later. You can read the transcript of the audio to check any words that you did not understand. Do you think that this candidate performed well? Think about how you can improve your own Speaking test.

Transcript

Examiner: Now, in this first part, I’d like to ask you some more questions about yourself, OK? Let’s talk about your home town or village. What kind of place is it? Candidate: It’s quite a small village, about 20km from Zurich. And it’s very quiet. And we have only little … two little shops because most of the people work in Zurich or are orientated to the city. Examiner: What’s the most interesting part of this place … village? Candidate: On the top of a hill we have a little castle which is very old and quite well known in Switzerland. Examiner: What kind of jobs do people in the village do? Candidate: We have some farmers in the village as well as people who work in Zurich as bankers or journalists or there are also teachers and some doctors, some medicines. Examiner: Would you say it’s a good place to live? Candidate: Yes. Although it is very quiet, it is … people are friendly and I would say it is a good place to live there, yes. Examiner: Let’s move on to talk about accommodation. Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in …

Speaking part 2

IELTS Speaking Practice test

In the IELTS speaking part 2 test you will be given a task card on a particular topic, and this will include key points that you should talk about.

This section of the Speaking test gives you the opportunity to speak for longer on a topic. You will be given one minute to prepare to talk about the topic on the task card.  A pencil and paper will be provided for you to make notes. You will have to talk for 1-2 minutes, and then the examiner will ask you one or two questions on the same topic. Part 2 takes 3-4 minutes in total.

How to practise

Ask your study partner to listen while you speak about the task card topic. You should talk for 1-2 minutes. Your study partner should then ask you one or two questions on the same topic using the rounding off questions. Record yourself if you can. IELTS Speaking Practice test

Speaking test part 2: candidate task card

Describe something you own which is very important to you. You should say:
  • where you got it from
  • how long you have had it
  • what you use it for; and
  • explain why it is important to you.
You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes. You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.

Rounding off questions

Tell me
  • is it valuable in terms of money?
  • would it be easy to replace?

Listen to the audio:

Left click on the link to listen now (the audio player will open in a new tab) or right click and select ‘Save Link As’ to download the file to your computer and listen later. You can read the transcript of the audio to check any words that you did not understand. Do you think that this candidate performed well? Think about how you can improve your own Speaking test.

Transcript

Examiner: Alright? Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. I’ll tell you when the time is up. Candidate: OK Examiner: Can you start speaking now, please? Candidate: Yes. One of the most important things I have is my piano because I like playing the piano. I got it from my parents to my twelve birthday, so I have it for about nine years, and the reason why it is so important for me is that I can go into another world when I’m playing piano. I can forget what’s around me and what … I can forget my problems and this is sometimes quite good for a few minutes. Or I can play to relax or just, yes to … to relax and to think of something completely different. Examiner: Thank you. Would it be easy to replace this, this piano? Candidate: Yes, I think it wouldn’t be that big problem but I like my piano as it is because I have it from my parents, it’s some kind unique for me.

Speaking part 3

In part 3 of the Speaking test the examiner will ask further questions which are connected to the topics  discussed in part 2.

This part of the test is designed to give you the opportunity to talk about more abstract issues and ideas. It is a two-way discussion with the examiner, and will last 4-5 minutes.

How to practise

Ask your study partner to prompt your practice test discussion using the questions below. Try to speak as naturally and fluently as possible. Record your discussion if you can.
 
Let’s consider first of all how people’s values have changed.
  • What kind of things give status to people in your country?
  • Have things changed since your parents’ time?
Finally, let’s talk about the role of advertising.
  • Do you think advertising influences what people buy?

Listen to the audio:

  Left click on the link to listen now (the audio player will open in a new tab) or right click and select ‘Save Link As’ to download the file to your computer and listen later. You can read the transcript of the audio to check any words that you did not understand. Do you think that this candidate performed well? Think about how you can improve your own Speaking test.

Transcript

Examiner: We’ve been talking about things we own. I’d like to discuss with you one or two more general questions relating to this topic. First, let’s consider values and the way they can change. In Switzerland, what kind of possessions do you think give status to people? Candidate: The first thing which comes in my mind is the car. Yes, because lots of people like to have posh cars or expensive cars to show their status, their place in the society. Examiner: Is that a new development? Candidate: No, I think it isn’t. Examiner: People have thought like that for quite a long time? Candidate: Yes. Another thing is probably the clothing. It starts already when you are young. When the children go to school they want to have posh labels on their jumpers or good shoes. Examiner: What do you think of this way of thinking, that I need to have a car or certain clothes to show my status? Candidate: Probably it’s sometimes a replacement for something you don’t have, so if your wife has left you or your girlfriend, you just buy some new, I don’t know, new watches or new clothes to make you satisfied again. Examiner: You don’t think of it as a healthy way of thinking? Candidate: It’s probably not honest to yourself. You can understand what I mean? Examiner: Yes. And do you think this will change? In the future, will cars and designer clothes be status symbols in the same way? Candidate: I’m sure that clothes will be … that the thing with the clothes will be the same. I’m not so sure about the cars because cars cause lots of environmental problems and probably in some years, a few years, this will change because it’s not reasonable to drive a car anymore. Examiner: Can you tell me a little bit more about that? [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzzOowpCryw[/embed]
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English Classroom: Grammar: Active and Passive Voice

English Active and Passive Voice

English Active and Passive Voice

  • The places of subject and object in sentence are inter-changed in passive voice.
  • 3rd form of verb (past participle) will be used only (as main verb) in passive voice.
  • Auxiliary verbs for each tense are given below in the table.
Present Simple Tense (passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: am/is/are

Active voice: He sings a song. He does not sing a song.Does he sing a song?

Passive voice: A song is sung by him. A song is not sung by him. Is a song sung by him?

Present Continuous Tense (passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: am being/is being/are being

Active voice: I am writing a letter I am not writing a letter. Am I writing a letter?

Passive voice: A letter is being written by me. A letter is not being written by me. Is a letter being written by me?

 
Present Perfect Tense (passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: has been/have been

Active voice: She has finished his work She has not finished her work. Has she finished her work?

Passive voice: Her work has been finished by her. Her work has not been finished by her. Has her work been finished by her?

Past Simple Tense (passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: was/were

Active voice: I killed a snake I did not kill a snake. Did I kill a snake?

Passive voice: A snake was killed by me. A snake was not killed by me. Was a snake killed by me?

 
Past Continuous Tense (Passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: was being/were being

Active voice: He was driving a car. He was not driving a car. Was he driving a car?

Passive voice: A car was being driven by him. A car was not being driven by him. Was a car being driven by him?

English Active and Passive Voice
Past Perfect Tense (Passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: had been

Active voice: They had completed the assignment. They had not completed the assignment. Had they completed the assignment?

Passive voice: The assignment had been completed by them. The assignment had not been complete by them. Had the assignment been completed by them?

 
Future Simple Tense (Passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: will be

Active voice: She will buy a car. She will not buy a car. Will she buy a car?

Passive voice: A car will be bought by her. A car will not be bought by her. Will a car be bought by her?

 
Future Perfect Tense (passive Voice) Auxiliary verb in passive voice: will have been

Active voice: You will have started the job. You will have not started the job. Will you have started the job?

Passive voice: The job will have been started by you. The job will not have been started by you. Will the job have been started by you?

Note: The following tenses cannot be changed into passive voice.

  1. Present perfect continuous tense
  2. Past perfect continuous tense
  3. Future continuous tense
  4. Future perfect continuous tense
  5. Sentence having Intransitive verbs

Fundamental Rules

  • The places of subject and object in sentence are inter-changed in passive voice.
  • 3rd form of verb (past participle) will be used only (as main verb) in passive voice.
  • Auxiliary verbs for each tense are given below in the table.
English Active and Passive Voice

Active and Passive Voice: Tense-wise Rules

Simple Present tense

An Active sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure: Subject + first form of the verb + object A passive sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure: Object of the active sentence + is/am/are + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the active sentence

Changing an assertive sentence into the passive

Active: I write a letter. Passive: A letter is written by me. Active: I help you. Passive: You are helped by me. Active: I love my parents. Passive: My parents are loved by me. Active: We love our country. Passive: Our country is loved by us.

Changing a negative sentence into the passive

Active: I do not write a letter. Passive: A letter is not written by me. Active: I do not abuse my servants. Passive: My servants are not abused by me. Active: I do not write novels. Passive: Novels are not written by me. Active: He does not tease her. Passive: She is not teased by him.

Changing an interrogative sentence into the passive

Structure: Is/are/am + object of the active verb + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the passive verb Active: Do you write a letter? Passive: Is a letter written by you? Active: Do you write stories? Passive: Are stories written by you? Active: Does she make candles? Passive: Are candles made by her? Active: Who does not obey you? Passive: By whom are you not obeyed? Active: Which newspaper do you read? Passive: Which newspaper is read by you? Active: Does she do her duty? Passive: Is her duty done by her? Notes: The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. Therefore, sentences which do not have an object cannot be changed into the passive. The following sentences, for instance, cannot be changed into the passive because they do not have objects. The old man sat in a corner. The child sleeps. The wind blows. The dog barks. The fire burns. He laughed aloud.

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English Classroom: Grammar: Future Perfect Continuous

English Future Perfect Continuous

Future Perfect Continuous has two different forms: “will have been doing ” and “be going to have been doing.” Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Perfect Continuous forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Perfect Continuous with “Will”

[will have been + present participle]
Examples:
  • You will have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives.
  • Will you have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives?
  • You will not have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives.
English Future Perfect Continuous

FORM Future Perfect Continuous with “Be Going To”

[am/is/are + going to have been + present participle]
Examples:
  • You are going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives.
  • Are you going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives?
  • You are not going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives.
NOTE: It is possible to use either “will” or “be going to” to create the Future Perfect Continuous with little or no difference in meaning.

USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Future

We use the Future Perfect Continuous to show that something will continue up until a particular event or time in the future. “For five minutes,” “for two weeks,” and “since Friday” are all durations which can be used with the Future Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous and the Past Perfect Continuous; however, with Future Perfect Continuous, the duration stops at or before a reference point in the future.
Examples:
  • They will have been talking for over an hour by the time Thomas arrives.
  • She is going to have been working at that company for three years when it finally closes.
  • James will have been teaching at the university for more than a year by the time he leaves for Asia.
  • How long will you have been studying when you graduate?
  • We are going to have been driving for over three days straight when we get to Anchorage.
  • A: When you finish your English course, will you have been living in New Zealand for over a year? B: No, I will not have been living here that long.
Notice in the examples above that the reference points (marked in italics) are in Simple Present rather than Simple Future. This is because these future events are in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

USE 2 Cause of Something in the Future

Using the Future Perfect Continuous before another action in the future is a good way to show cause and effect.
Examples:
  • Jason will be tired when he gets home because he will have been jogging for over an hour.
  • Claudia’s English will be perfect when she returns to Germany because she is going to have been studying English in the United States for over two years.
English Future Perfect Continuous

Future Continuous vs. Future Perfect Continuous

If you do not include a duration such as “for five minutes,” “for two weeks” or “since Friday,” many English speakers choose to use the Future Continuous rather than the Future Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence. Future Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Future Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the future. Study the examples below to understand the difference.
Examples:
  • He will be tired because he will be exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he will be tired because he will be exercising at that exact moment in the future.
  • He will be tired because he will have been exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he will be tired because he will have been exercising for a period of time. It is possible that he will still be exercising at that moment OR that he will just have finished.

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Future Perfect Continuous cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Future Perfect Continuous, Present Perfect Continuous is used.
Examples:
  • You won’t get a promotion until you will have been working here as long as Tim. Not Correct
  • You won’t get a promotion until you have been working here as long as Tim. Correct

AND REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Future Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Future Perfect .
Examples:
  • Ned will have been having his driver’s license for over two years. Not Correct
  • Ned will have had his driver’s license for over two years. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You will only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives.
  • Will you only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives?
  • You are only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives.
  • Are you only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives?

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English Classroom:Grammar-Future Perfect

Future Perfect Tense: How to use?

Future Perfect Tense: How to use?

Future Perfect has two different forms: “will have done” and “be going to have done.” Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Perfect forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Perfect with “Will”

[will have + past participle]
Examples:
  • You will have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.
  • Will you have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.?
  • You will not have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.

FORM Future Perfect with “Be Going To”

[am/is/are + going to have + past participle]
Examples:
  • You are going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.
  • Are you going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.?
  • You are not going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.
NOTE: It is possible to use either “will” or “be going to” to create the Future Perfect with little or no difference in meaning. The Future Perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another action in the future. It can also show that something will happen before a specific time in the future.
Examples:
  • By next November, I will have received my promotion.
  • By the time he gets home, she is going to have cleaned the entire house.
  • I am not going to have finished this test by 3 o’clock.
  • Will she have learned enough Chinese to communicate before she moves to Beijing?
  • Sam is probably going to have completed the proposal by the time he leaves this afternoon.
  • By the time I finish this course, I will have taken ten tests.
  • How many countries are you going to have visited by the time you turn 50?
Notice in the examples above that the reference points (marked in italics) are in Simple Present rather than Simple Future. This is because the interruptions are in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Future (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Future Perfect to show that something will continue up until another action in the future.
Examples:
  • I will have been in London for six months by the time I leave.
  • By Monday, Susan is going to have had my book for a week.
Although the above use of Future Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words “live,” “work,” “teach,” and “study” are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.
Subject + WILL HAVE + Verb (past participle form)

Quick examples

  • I will have graduated from university by May.
  • Patrick will have lived in Hong Kong for 20 years by the next month.
  • The train will have left by now.
We use the Future Perfect tense to talk about actions that will be finished before some point in the future. We also use this tense to express situations that will last for a specified period of time at a definite moment in the future. The last use is to express certainty that an action was completed.

Use

Use 1: Completion before a specified point in the future

The first use of this tense is to talk about future actions that will be finished before some specified point in the future.
  • Before they come, we will have cleaned up the house.
  • John will have eaten the whole cake, by the time the birthday party starts!

Use 2: Duration in the Future

Another use of this tense is to talk about actions will last after a given point in the future.
  • By the next year, I will have known Monica for 30 years.
  • Patrick will have lived in Hong Kong for 20 years by 2012.
Common Time Expressions
Time expressions that are commonly used with the Future Perfect:
  • By
  • By the time
  • Before
  • By tomorrow/7 o’clock/next month
  • Until/till

Use 3: Certainty About the Near Past

The last use is to express conviction that something happened in the near past.
  • The train will have left by now. We have to look for another way to get there. (I’m sure the train has left)
  • The guests will have arrived at the hotel by now. (I’m sure the guests have arrived at the hotel)

Form

WILL = ‘LLExample: She’ll have finished = she will have finished WILL + NOT = WON’T Example: She won’t have finished = she will not have finished
Important
The Future Perfect appears in two forms: “will” form and “going to” form which can be used interchangably. Example:
  • “She will have finished” means “she is going to have finished”

Positive Sentences

Subject + Auxiliary verb + Auxiliary verb + Past participle
e.g. I/a dog etc. will have e.g. eaten/given/gone etc.
Examples Use
I will have retired by the end of this year. (Use 1)
I read 40 pages a day. If I keep up the pace, I will have read the book by Tuesday. (Use 1)

Questions

Auxiliary verb + Subject + Auxiliary verb + Past participle
will e.g. I/a dog etc. have e.g. eaten/given/gone etc.
Examples Use
Will they have graduated from Cambridge by July 2009? (Use 1)
Will I have retired by the end of the year? (Use 1)
Will you have bought a new processor by the end of this week? (Use 1)

Negative Sentences

Subject + Auxiliary verb + not + Auxiliary verb + Past participle
e.g. I/a dog etc. will not have e.g. eaten/given/gone etc.
Examples Use
They won’t have graduated from from Cambridge by July 2009. (Use 1)
My uncle won’t have retired by the end of the year. (Use 1)

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Future Perfect cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Future Perfect, Present Perfect is used.
Examples:
  • I am going to see a movie when I will have finished my homework. Not Correct
  • I am going to see a movie when I have finished my homework. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You will only have learned a few words.
  • Will you only have learned a few words?
  • You are only going to have learned a few words.
  • Are you only going to have learned a few words?

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English Classroom-Grammar-Future Continuous

English Future Continuous

The Future Continuous tense is often used in English as a way to talk about something happening at a given point in the future.

How do we make the Future Continuous tense?

The structure of the Future Continuous tense is:
subject + auxiliary verb WILL + auxiliary verb BE + main verb
invariable invariable present participle
will be base + ing
For negative sentences in the Future Continuous tense, we insert not between will and be. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with the Future Continuous tense:
subject auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb
+ I will be working at 10am.
+ You will be lying on a beach tomorrow.
She will not be using the car.
We will not be having dinner at home.
? Will you be playing football?
? Will they be watching TV?
We sometimes use shall instead of will, especially for I and we.

Contraction with Future Continuous

When we use the Future Continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and WILL:
I will I’ll
you will you’ll
he will she will it will he’ll she’ll it’ll
we will we’ll
they will they’ll
In negative sentences, we may contract with won’t, like this:
I will not I won’t
you will not you won’t
he will not she will not it will not he won’t she won’t it won’t
we will not we won’t
they will not they won’t

How do we use the Future Continuous tense?

The Future Continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the future. The action will have started before that moment but it will not have finished at that moment. For example, tomorrow I will start work at 2pm and stop work at 6pm:
At 4pm tomorrow, I will be working.
past present future
4pm
At 4pm, I will be in the middle of working.
When we use the Future Continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples:
  • I will be playing tennis at 10am tomorrow.
  • They won’t be watching TV at 9pm tonight.
  • What will you be doing at 10pm tonight?
  • What will you be doing when I arrive?
  • She will not be sleeping when you telephone her.
  • We‘ll be having dinner when the film starts.
  • Take your umbrella. It will be raining when you return.
Note that continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the Future Continuous tense is sometimes called the Future Progressive tense.
Future Continuous has two different forms: “will be doing ” and “be going to be doing.” Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Continuous forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Continuous with “Will”

[will be + present participle]
Examples:
  • You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
  • Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?
  • You will not be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

FORM Future Continuous with “Be Going To “

[am/is/are + going to be + present participle]
Examples:
  • You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
  • Are you going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?
  • You are not going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
REMEMBER: It is possible to use either “will” or “be going to” to create the Future Continuous with little difference in meaning. Use the Future Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.
Examples:
  • I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight.
  • I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives.
  • I am going to be staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and you need to contact me.
  • He will be studying at the library tonight, so he will not see Jennifer when she arrives.
Notice in the examples above that the interruptions (marked in italics) are in Simple Present rather than Simple Future. This is because the interruptions are in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption in the Future

In USE 1, described above, the Future Continuous is interrupted by a short action in the future. In addition to using short actions as interruptions, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.
Examples:
  • Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner. I will be in the process of eating dinner.
  • At midnight tonight, we will still be driving through the desert. We will be in the process of driving through the desert.

REMEMBER

In the Simple Future, a specific time is used to show the time an action will begin or end. In the Future Continuous, a specific time interrupts the action.
Examples:
  • Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to eat dinner. I am going to start eating at 6 PM.
  • Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner. I am going to start earlier and I will be in the process of eating dinner at 6 PM.

USE 3 Parallel Actions in the Future

When you use the Future Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions will be happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
Examples:
  • I am going to be studying and he is going to be making dinner.
  • Tonight, they will be eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.
  • While Ellen is reading, Tim will be watching television.

USE 4 Atmosphere in the Future

In English, we often use a series of Parallel Actions to describe atmosphere at a specific point in the future.
Example:
  • When I arrive at the party, everybody is going to be celebrating. Some will be dancing. Others are going to be talking. A few people will be eating pizza, and several people are going to be drinking beer. They always do the same thing.

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future tenses, the Future Continuous cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Future Continuous, Present Continuous is used.
Examples:
  • While I am going to be finishing my homework, she is going to make dinner. Not Correct
  • While I am finishing my homework, she is going to make dinner. Correct

AND REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Future Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Future.
Examples:
  • Jane will be being at my house when you arrive. Not Correct
  • Jane will be at my house when you arrive. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You will still be waiting for her when her plane arrives.
  • Will you still be waiting for her when her plane arrives?
  • You are still going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives.
  • Are you still going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives?
USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Future
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Classroom English-Grammar-Simple Future

English Simple Future

FUNCTIONS OF THE SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

The simple future refers to a time later than now, and expresses facts or certainty. In this case there is no ‘attitude’. The simple future is used:
  • To predict a future event: It will rain tomorrow.
  • With I or We, to express a spontaneous decision: I’ll pay for the tickets by credit card.
  • To express willingness: I’ll do the washing-up. He’ll carry your bag for you.
  • In the negative form, to express unwillingness: The baby won’t eat his soup. I won’t leave until I’ve seen the manager!
  • With I in the interrogative form using “shall”, to make an offer: Shall I open the window?
  • With we in the interrogative form using “shall”, to make a suggestion: Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
  • With I in the interrogative form using “shall”, to ask for advice or instructions: What shall I tell the boss about this money?
  • With you, to give orders: You will do exactly as I say.
  • With you in the interrogative form, to give an invitation: Will you come to the dance with me? Will you marry me?
Note:In modern English will is preferred to shall. Shall is mainly used with I and we to make an offer or suggestion, or to ask for advice (see examples above). With the other persons (you, he, she, they) shall is only used in literary or poetic situations, e.g. “With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, She shall have music wherever she goes.”

FORMING THE SIMPLE FUTURE

The simple future tense is composed of two parts: will / shall + the infinitive without to
Subject will infinitive without to
Affirmative
I will go
I shall go
Negative
They will not see
They won’t see
Interrogative
Will she ask?
Interrogative negative
Won’t they try?
CONTRACTIONS
I will = I’ll We will = we’ll You will = you’ll He will = he’ll She will = she’ll They will = they’ll Will not = won’t The form “it will” is not normally shortened.

TO SEE: SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interrogative Negative
I will see I won’t see Will I see? Won’t I see?
*I shall see *Shall I see?
You will see You won’t see Will you see? Won’t you see?
He will see He won’t see Will he see? Won’t he see?
We will see We won’t see Will we see? Won’t we see?
*We shall see *Shall we see?
They will see They won’t see Will they see? Won’t they see?
*Shall is dated, but it is still commonly used instead of “will” with the affirmative or interrogative forms of I and we in certain cases (see above). Simple Future has two different forms in English: “will” and “be going to.” Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the differences will become clear. Both “will” and “be going to” refer to a specific time in the future.

FORM Will

[will + verb]
Examples:
  • You will help him later.
  • Will you help him later?
  • You will not help him later.

FORM Be Going To

[am/is/are + going to + verb]
Examples:
  • You are going to meet Jane tonight.
  • Are you going to meet Jane tonight?
  • You are not going to meet Jane tonight.

USE 1 “Will” to Express a Voluntary Action

“Will” often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is one the speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use “will” to respond to someone else’s complaint or request for help. We also use “will” when we request that someone help us or volunteer to do something for us. Similarly, we use “will not” or “won’t” when we refuse to voluntarily do something.
Examples:
  • I will send you the information when I get it.
  • I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.
  • Will you help me move this heavy table?
  • Will you make dinner?
  • I will not do your homework for you.
  • I won’t do all the housework myself!
  • A: I’m really hungry. B: I‘ll make some sandwiches.
  • A: I’m so tired. I’m about to fall asleep. B: I‘ll get you some coffee.
  • A: The phone is ringing. B: I‘ll get it.

USE 2 “Will” to Express a Promise

“Will” is usually used in promises.
Examples:
  • I will call you when I arrive.
  • If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has access to inexpensive health insurance.
  • I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.
  • Don’t worry, I‘ll be careful.
  • I won’t tell anyone your secret.

USE 3 “Be going to” to Express a Plan

“Be going to” expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person intends to do something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic or not.
Examples:
  • He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.
  • She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.
  • A: When are we going to meet each other tonight? B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.
  • I‘m going to be an actor when I grow up.
  • Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.
  • They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.
  • Who are you going to invite to the party?
  • A: Who is going to make John’s birthday cake? B: Sue is going to make John’s birthday cake.

USE 4 “Will” or “Be Going to” to Express a Prediction

Both “will” and “be going to” can express the idea of a general prediction about the future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In “prediction” sentences, the subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the following examples, there is no difference in meaning.
Examples:
  • The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.
  • The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.
  • John Smith will be the next President.
  • John Smith is going to be the next President.
  • The movie “Zenith” will win several Academy Awards.
  • The movie “Zenith” is going to win several Academy Awards.
 

IMPORTANT

In the Simple Future, it is not always clear which USE the speaker has in mind. Often, there is more than one way to interpret a sentence’s meaning.

No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Simple Future cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Simple Future, Simple Present is used.
Examples:
  • When you will arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Not Correct
  • When you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You will never help him.
  • Will you ever help him?
  • You are never going to meet Jane.
  • Are you ever going to meet Jane?

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Classroom English-Grammar-Past Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect Continuous

FORM

[had been + present participle]
Examples:
  • You had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.
  • Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived?
  • You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.

USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past

We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. “For five minutes” and “for two weeks” are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past.
Examples:
  • They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
  • She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business.
  • How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?
  • Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work.
  • James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia.
  • A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara? B: I had not been studying Turkish very long.

USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past

Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect.
Examples:
  • Jason was tired because he had been jogging.
  • Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
  • Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.
Past Perfect ContinuousPast Continuous vs. Past Perfect Continuous
If you do not include a duration such as “for five minutes,” “for two weeks” or “since Friday,” many English speakers choose to use the Past Continuous rather than the Past Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence. Past Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past. Study the examples below to understand the difference.
Examples:
  • He was tired because he was exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he was exercising at that exact moment.
  • He was tired because he had been exercising so hard. This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he had been exercising over a period of time. It is possible that he was still exercising at that moment OR that he had just finished.

REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings forMixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Past Perfect.
Examples:
  • The motorcycle had been belonging to George for years before Tina bought it. Not Correct
  • The motorcycle had belonged to George for years before Tina bought it. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You had only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived.
  • Had you only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived?

Past Perfect Continuous

The Past Perfect Continuous is another tense that expresses the “past in the past”. In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the Past Perfect Continuous tense, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.
Note that continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the Past Perfect Continuous tense is sometimes called the Past Perfect Progressive tense.

How do we make the Past Perfect Continuous tense?

The structure of the Past Perfect Continuous tense is:
subject + auxiliary have + auxiliary be + main verb
conjugated in Past Simple past participle
had been present participle
The first auxiliary verb (have) is conjugated in the Past Simple, invariable: had The second auxiliary verb (be) is invariable in past participle form: been The main verb is invariable in present participle form: -ing For negative sentences we insert not after the first auxiliary verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the first auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the Past Perfect Continuous tense:
subject auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb
+ I had been working.
+ You had been playing tennis.
It had not been working well.
We had not been expecting her.
? Had you been drinking?
? Had they been waiting long?

Contraction with Past Perfect Continuous

When we use the Past Perfect Continuous in speaking, we often contract the subject and the first auxiliary verb. We also sometimes do this in informal writing.
I had been I’d been
you had been you’d been
he had been she had been it had been he’d been she’d been it’d been
we had been we’d been
they had been they’d been
  • He’d been drinking all day.
  • It’d been pouring with rain.
In negative sentences, we may contract the first auxiliary verb and “not”:
  • We hadn’t been living there long.
  • They hadn’t been studying very hard.

How do we use the Past Perfect Continuous tense?

The Past Perfect Continuous tense is like the Past Perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions in the past before another action in the past. For example:
  • Ram started waiting at 9am. I arrived at 11am. When I arrived, Ram had been waiting for two hours.
 
past present future
Ram starts waiting in past at 9am.
9 11
I arrive in past at 11am.
Ram had been waiting for two hours when I arrived.
Here are some more examples:
  • John was very tired. He had been running.
  • I could smell cigarettes. Somebody had been smoking.
  • Suddenly, my car broke down. I was not surprised. It had not been running well for a long time.
  • Had the pilot been drinking before the crash?
You can sometimes think of the Past Perfect Continuous tense like the Present Perfect Continuous tense, but instead of the time being now the time is before.
have been doing →
had been doing →
past present future
For example, imagine that you meet Ram at 11am. Ram says to you:
  • “I am angry. I have been waiting for two hours.”
Later, you tell your friends:
  • “Ram was angry. He had been waiting for two hours.”

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Classroom English-Grammar-Past Perfect

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense

FORM

[had + past participle]
Examples:
  • You had studied English before you moved to New York.
  • Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
  • You had not studied English before you moved to New York.
The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.
Examples:
  • I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
  • I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
  • Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
  • Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
  • She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
  • Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
  • We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
  • A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006? B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.
Past Perfect Tense

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.
Examples:
  • We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
  • By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
  • They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.
Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words “live,” “work,” “teach,” and “study” are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.
Example:
  • She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

MOREOVER

If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when “before” or “after” is used in the sentence. The words “before” and “after” actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are correct.
Examples:
  • She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.
  • She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

HOWEVER

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.
Examples:
  • She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct
  • She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
  • You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.
  • Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?

For actions that happened before a past event

When we want to talk about an action that happened before a past event, we often use the past perfect. Look at these examples:
  • When I got home yesterday, my father had already cooked dinner.
  • I didn’t want to go to the movies with my friends because I had seen the film already.
  • My friend offered me an apple in class yesterday, but I wasn’t hungry because I had just eaten lunch.
  • I arrived very late at the party. All my friends had already gone home.
  • As soon as she had done her homework, she went to bed.
  • I was very tired as I hadn’t slept well for several days.
  • Had you seen the film before?
Notice how often words like already, just, never etc. are used with the past perfect.

In reported speech

The past perfect is common when we report people’s words or thoughts .., as in the following examples:
  • John said that he had never eaten sushi before.
  • She told me that she had finished, but I knew she had not.
  • She wondered why he had been so unkind to her.
  • He told me he hadn’t done his homework, but he was hoping to finish it on the bus.
  • I thought I had sent her a birthday card, but I was wrong.

In if (conditional) sentences

The past perfect tense is used in unreal or hypothetical stituations, as in the following sentences:
  • If I had known you were in Frankfurt, I would have called you. (but I didn’t know you were here so I didn’t call you!)
  • If I had had enough money, I would have bought you a better present. (but I didn’t have enough money.)
  • I would have been very angy if you had laughed when I got the answer wrong. (but you didn’t laugh, so I wasn’t angry.)
  • She wouldn’t have been able to finish, if you hadn’t helped her. (but you did help her and she did finish.)
  • I wish I had studied for my exams. (but I didn’t study – and I got bad grades!)
  • I would have been in big trouble if you hadn’t helped me. (but you did help me so I stayed out of trouble.)
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