It is used to express a continued or ongoing action that started in past and continued until sometime in past.
There will be a time reference, such as “since 1989, for two hours etc”.
Affirmative Sentences
Rule 1: Subject + had been + (1st Form of Verb + ing) + Object + Time reference (See Examples 1,2,3)
Rule 2: Use 'for' or 'since' for showing time reference. 'Since' is for 'Point of Time'. eg. since Tuesday, since 1998, since morning, since 4 o'clock etc.
Rule 3: Use 'for' for 'Period of Time'. eg. for two days, for three months, for five hours etc.
Examples: 1. Seema had been playing with her dolls since morning. 2. They had been waiting for me for five hours. 3. Those women had been washing their clothes for three hours.
Negative Sentences
Rule : Subject + had + not + been + (1st Form of Verb + ing) + Object + Time Reference Examples: 1. She had not been reading for two days. 2. Rahul had not been teaching me for two years. 3. I had not been suffering from fever since Monday.
Interrogative Sentences
Rule 1:Had + Subject + been + (1st Form of Verb + ing) + Object + Time reference (See Examples 1, 2) Rule 2: When/Why/What/Where + had + Subject + been + (1st Form of Verb + ing) + Object + Time reference (See Example 4)
Rule 3: How much/How many/Whose/Which also used with their related nouns.(See Example 3)
Rule 4: Interrogative negative sentences are just like Interrogative affirmative sentences with only use of not after the subject. Had + subject + not + been + (1st form of verb + ing) + Object + Time Reference (See example 2) Rule 5: Must put Question Mark (?) at the end of a sentence.
Examples: 1. Had he been doing his work for three hours ? 2. Had they not been helping me for many years ? 3. How many players had been playing the match since morning ? 4. Why had the dogs been running for an year ?
It is used to express an action which happened or completed in the past time or usually the two actions which happened or completed one by one in the past time.
Affirmative Sentences
Rule 1: Subject (Single number/third person/Plural number) + had + 3rd Form of Verb + Object Rule 2: Where ever you'll see the use of 'before' in combining the two past sentences of this tense, the action which would be completed before would be in 'Past Perfect Tense' and the action completed after would be in 'Past Simple Tense'. (see examples 1,2,3) Rule 3: Where ever you'll see the use of 'After' in combining the two past sentences of this tense, the action which would be completed after would be 'Principal Clause' in 'Past Simple Tense' and the action completed before would be 'Subordinate clause' in 'Past Perfect Tense'. (see examples 4)
Examples: 1. We had reached home before it rained. 2. The train had started before I reached the station. 3. She had read her book before she slept. 4. John went to school after he had learnt his lesson. 5. I had already heard this news.
Negative Sentences
Rule 1: Subject (Single number/third person/Plural number) + had + not + 3rd Form of Verb + Object Examples: 1. I had not seen this house before. 2. The patient had not died before the doctor came. 3. The thief had not run away before the police came. 4. The teacher had not finished the course before the examination began.
Interrogative Sentences
Rule 1: Had + Subject (Single number/third person/Plural number) + 3rd Form of Verb + Object (See Examples 1, 2,3) Rule 2: when/why/what/where + had + Subject + 3rd Form of Verb + Object (See Example 6) Rule 3: how much/how many/whose/which also used with their related nouns.(See Examples 4, 5) Rule 4: Interrogative negative sentences are just like Interrogative affirmative sentences with only use of not after the subject. Had + subject + not + 3rd form of verb (See example 3) Rule 5: Must put Question Mark (?) at the end of a sentence.
Examples: 1. Had the bell rung before I reached the school? 2. Had they taken tea before the sun rose? 3. Had we not reached the bus-stand before the bus started? 4. How many children had slept before sunset? 5. Which song had that girl sung before we came? 6. Why had you written a letter before I slept? 7. What did the patient eat after the doctor had gone?
It is used to express a continued or ongoing action in past, an ongoing action which occurred in past and completed at some point in past.
Affirmative Sentences
Rule 1: Subject (Single number/third person/He,She,It) + was + (1st Form of Verb + ing) + Object (See Examples 1,5)
Rule 2: Subject (Plural number/You,We,They) + were + (1st Form of Verb + ing) + Object (See Examples 2,3,4)
Examples: 1. I was reading my book. 2. They were playing football. 3. We were learning our lesson. 4. You were calling my servant. 5. She was singing a sweet song.
Negative Sentences
Rule 1: Subject (Single number/third person/Plural number) + was/were + not + (1st Form of Verb + ing) + Object
Examples: 1. I was not going to London. 2. She was not playing with her doll. 3. The cow was not grazing grass. 4. They were not going to market.
Interrogative Sentences
Rule 1:Was/Were + Subject (Single number/third person/Plural number) + (1st Form of Verb + ing) + Object (See Examples 1,2,4) Rule 2: when/why/what/where + was/were + Subject + (1st Form of Verb + ing) + Object (See Example 6,7)
Rule 3: how much/how many/whose/which also used with their related nouns.(See Examples 5)
Rule 4: If any interrogative word works like a subject then write it first then carry on with was/were + (1st form of verb + ing) (See Example 8) Rule 5: Interrogative negative sentences are just like Interrogative affirmative sentences with only use of not after the subject. Was/Were + subject + not + (1st form of verb + ing) (See example 3,6) Rule 6: Must put Question Mark (?) at the end of a sentence.
Examples: 1. Were we going to the market? 2. Was John abusing his servant? 3. Were those boys not making a noise? 4. Was I not going with you? 5. How many boys were playing in the field? 6. Why was the farmer not ploughing his field? 7. What was he doing in the room? 8. Who was weeping in the class?
Simple Past Tense sentences include happening of work in past time.
Affirmative Sentences
Rule 1: Subject (Single number/third person/Plural number) + 2nd Form of Verb (See Example 1 to 6) Rule 2: Different number of the subject cannot change verb.
Examples: 1. He gave me a pen yesterday. 2. I lived in this house. 3. Joe went to New York to see his father yesterday. 4. We learnt our lesson. 5. She wrote a letter to her father. 6. The carpenter made a chair.
Negative Sentences
Rule 1: Subject (Single number/third person/Plural number) + did not + 1st Form of Verb (See Example 1,2,4 and 5) Rule 2: while working with 'never', we have to put never before '2nd form of the verb' and there is no use of 'did not' in the sentence. (See Example 3)
Examples: 1. I did not learn my lesson. 2. They did not play hockey. 3. I never came late. 4. Anna did not sing a sweet song. 5. You did not go to school.
Interrogative Sentences
Rule 1:Did + Subject (Single number/third person/Plural number) + 1st Form of Verb (See Example 1, 2 and 3) Rule 2: when/why/what/where + did + Subject + 1st Form of Verb(See Example 7 and 8)
Rule 3: 'how much' or 'how many' or 'whose' also used with their related nouns. (See Example 6, 9 and 10)
Rule 4: If any interrogative word works like a subject then we have to write it first then carry on with a 2nd form of the verb without using 'did'. (See Example 11) Rule 5: Interrogative negative sentences are just like Interrogative sentences. Why + did + subject + not + object (See example 3, 4, 5) Rule 6: Must put Question Mark (?) at the end of a sentence.
Examples: 1. Did he read a book? 2. Did I give you a pen? 3. Did your mother not love you? 4. Did she not come here? 5. Why did you not run with me? 6. Whose book did you read in the classroom? 7. Where did your brother go yesterday? 8. When did Ram return? 9. How many boys did not come to the class? 10. How much milk did that baby drink? 11. Who came to your house yesterday?
