When do we use 'Past Perfect?'
We use 'Past Perfect' when we talk about two actions from the past and we want to make it clear which action happened before the other.
So whenever we want to make it clear that something happened before the other thing happened, we use past perfect tense (had + Past Participle - had built).
Remember: For the action that was completed before the other action, we use had + past participle.
For the action that happened after the first action, we use past simple.
The storm destroyed the sandcastle we had built.
Some of the Signal words used with Past Perfect tense are:
- when
- already
- just
- as soon as
- after
Here, first the man ate the cake (that's why the verb is had + past participle had eaten) and then he felt sick (past simple is used for the action action that followed the first action).
It is not possible for my brother to eat the cake before Mum bakes it! Hence, I want to make it clear by using past perfect (had baked) for the action that happened before the second action in the past (ate).
If someone says:
My brother had eaten the cake that Mum baked.
It would be very silly because here it would mean that my brother ate the cake even before my mother had baked it! Not possible, isn't it! That's why it's important to learn the verb tenses!
Also past perfect is used for talking about an
action which happened before a definite time in
the past.
action which happened before a definite time in
the past.
Look at this example: 
Ahmed is the captain of his football team. He had started playing football when he was 9 years old. He had become the best striker in the country when he was only seventeen.
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-reference/past-perfect
Recap:
When we talk about two actions that were completed in the past, we use past perfect tense to clarify which action (out of the two) happened earlier.
The past perfect tense and the simple past tense - how they are used:
Example: Facts about Ahmed:
- Ahmed is the captain of his football team.
- He started playing football when he was 9 years old.
- He became the best striker in the country when he was only seventeen.
This is how we would talk about Ahmed using correct grammar:
Ahmed is the captain of his football team. He had started playing football when he was 9 years old. He had become the best striker in the country when he was only seventeen.
Click here to download the 'Past Perfect Worksheet' with answer key:
Click on these links to practice 'Past Perfect':
Click on this link to practice past perfect tense:
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-reference/past-perfect
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