Past Perfect/Mixed Tenses

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Here you can find mixed grammar exercises with past perfect tense. Past Perfect is only used if you have actions in the past (past simple or past progressive) and something had happened before.

What can you do before:

Interactive Exercises

mixed Past Perfect exercises

Put the verb in the correct form: Past Simple, Past Progressive, Past Perfect

Yesterday Sharon to the station to meet Paul. When she there, Paul for her. His train early.


When I home, Bill on the sofa. The TV was on but he it. He asleep and loudly. I the TV off and just then he up.


Last night I to bed and a book when suddenly I a noise. I up to see what it was but I anything, so I back to bed.


Mary had to go to New York last week, but she almost the plane. She in the queue at the check-in desk when she suddenly that she her passport at home. Fortunately, she doesn’t live very far from the airport, so she time to take a taxi home to get it. She back to the airport just in time for her flight.


I Tom and Tina yesterday as I through the park. They to the Gym where they tennis. They to a café for a drink and me to join them but I to meet a friend and time.


Signal Words

Put in the correct signal words.

When Columbus tried to find a shorter way to Asia 1492, he "discovered" a new world.

But Native Americans had discovered the continent 10.000 years . They have been living there for ages they had crossed the Bering Strait in the Ice Age.

Columbus came 500 years , but about 400 years Vikings had come to America, too. They didn't stay, however, the Native Americans had often fought against them.

inafterbeforeagoearlierafter


The BBQ - Quiz (Past Perfect + mixed)

Put in the words in brackets in their correct forms.

One day Helen, Peter and Mark were helping at a summer Bar-B-Q. They everything ready when Helen  : "Peter, we have a small problem here. There are no sausages."

"Whoops! Mark the sausages!" And then Helen that he any firelighters, too. He everything on the kitchen table at home.

Mark on his bike and to ride to his house, which about three miles away. He half-way home, when his bike .


While he home, he to his aunt's house. She could give him a lift.

But she was out. Oh yes! She always to aerobics on Saturdays. Now, why of that before?

He the bike in her back garden and was waiting for a bus. No bus . He before. Too dangerous.

But then a little old lady in an old pickup truck. "Oh, it must be OK!" he thought. "How many killer little old ladies are there?"

Mark his thumb out. The little old lady in the pickup . "You must never hitch-hike," she said. "It's dangerous." But she him home. Mark's parents out.


What was worse, the sausages .

Oh no! Burglars! No, not burglars. Had the cat them? No, the cat them.

There they , in the fridge. Mark . Then he at his watch.

It 3 o'clock and he thought: "Oh well!" He the Bar-B-Q at 1 o'clock. And he back there, except by bus.

He the firelighters, the barbecue in the back garden, the sausages on the grill and then sausages for five people all alone.

Sequence of Tenses

Put in the missing verb forms. Think carefully before deciding which tense to use.

When Robert out of the cinema last Thursday evening, he couldn't remember which street he his car in.
'I wanted to walk back along the river, but when I got to the bridge, I that they the public footpath.'
'The play starts at 8.30. If we here at half past six, we plenty of time. I expect we at the theatre shortly after seven.'
'There were so many people waiting for the Underground at Waterloo, it as if we onto the train at all!'
'You ought to try the King George. I lunch there several times recently. They excellent pub food.'
'Sorry we're late. We to the station in good time, but the train late.'