📚 Past Perfect Simple Grammar Exercise

Complete the exercises below to practice Past Perfect Simple tense

Step 1 of 4

👤 Student Information

Section A: Fill in the Blanks (Past Perfect Simple)

Complete the sentences using the correct past perfect simple form of the verbs in brackets.

1. When I arrived at the cinema, the movie (already start).

2. She told me that she (live) in Paris for five years before moving to London.

3. The students (finish) their homework before the teacher collected it.

4. By the time we reached the station, the train (leave).

5. He realized that he (forget) his wallet at home.

6. The company (never experience) such a successful quarter before.

7. After she (graduate) from university, she found a job in marketing.

8. The tourists discovered that someone (steal) their luggage from the hotel room.

9. We couldn't use the swimming pool because maintenance workers (drain) all the water.

10. The chef explained that he (learn) the recipe from his grandmother years ago.

Section B: Multiple Choice Questions (Past Perfect Simple)

Choose the correct past perfect simple form for each sentence.

1. She was tired because she ___ all night preparing for the exam.

studied
had studied
has studied
was studying

2. The meeting started after everyone ___.

arrived
had arrived
has arrived
was arriving

3. He told me that he ___ such beautiful scenery before.

never saw
had never seen
has never seen
was never seeing

4. The restaurant was closed because the health inspector ___.

came
had come
has come
was coming

5. By 2020, they ___ their business to five different countries.

expanded
had expanded
have expanded
were expanding

6. The children were excited because they ___ to Disneyland.

never went
had never been
have never been
were never going

7. The project failed because the team ___ enough research.

didn't do
hadn't done
hasn't done
wasn't doing

8. She recognized the man because she ___ him somewhere before.

met
had met
has met
was meeting

9. The garden looked beautiful because the gardener ___ it carefully.

maintained
had maintained
has maintained
was maintaining

10. After we ___ dinner, we went to see a movie.

finished
had finished
have finished
were finishing

Section C: Paragraph Completion (Past Perfect Simple)

Complete the paragraphs using the correct past perfect simple form of the verbs in brackets.

When Sarah finally arrived at her childhood home after ten years abroad, everything looked different from what she remembered. The old oak tree that she (climb) as a child (grow) much taller, and its branches now reached the second-floor windows. Her parents (renovate) the entire house, adding modern fixtures and painting the walls in bright colors. The garden where she (play) with her siblings (transform) into a beautiful landscape with flower beds and a small pond. Her mother explained that they (make) these changes gradually over the years, but Sarah felt as though she (enter) a completely different house.

The archaeological team was excited about their discovery at the ancient site. They (search) for evidence of early civilization for months when they finally uncovered a series of well-preserved artifacts. The pottery fragments they found indicated that skilled craftsmen (create) these objects over two thousand years ago. Analysis revealed that the inhabitants (develop) sophisticated techniques for firing clay and creating intricate designs. The team leader, Professor Johnson, noted that previous expeditions (fail) to find such complete specimens. Carbon dating confirmed that the settlement (exist) during a period when historians (previously believe) the area was uninhabited. This discovery would revolutionize understanding of ancient migration patterns that researchers (study) for decades.

Evaluating your grammar answers...