Past Perfect
Tense
SM-S
*Second event
*Main story
*Simple past
9
AM
10
A
M
FB-Pa
*First event
*Background story
*Past perfect tense
Yesterday
9
A
M
10
A
M
SM-S
*Second event
*Main story
*Simple past
James cleaned the park.
Yesterday
9
A
M
10
A
M
SM-S
*Second event
*Main story
*Simple past
James cleaned the park which
he had found dirty.
FB-Pa
*First event
*Background story
*Past perfect tense
Yesterday
9
A
M
10
A
M
11
P
M
12
N
N
FB-Pa
*First event
*Background story
*Past perfect tense
James ate the fish he had caught.
SM-S
*Second event
*Main story
*Simple past
Yesterday
9
A
M
10
A
M
11
P
M
12
N
N
12
NN
1
PM
James had had his lunch when he forgot
to feed his pets.
FB-Pa
*First event
*Background story
*Past perfect tense
SMS
*Second event
*Main story
*Simple past
James cleaned the park. Then he was
hungry so he ate a fish. After lunch, he
forgot to feed his pets.
SM-S
Cleaned
1
Was (hungry)
ate
2
forgot
3
Linear / continuous past events / forward / 1, 2, 3 …
James cleaned the park which he had found dirty.
Then he was hungry so he ate a fish which he had
caught by himself. After he had had lunch, he
forgot to feed his pets.
SM-S
Cleaned
1
1
Was (hungry)
ate
2
2
forgot
3
3
FB-Pa
Had found
Had caught
Had had
SM-Simple
past
1
FB-Past perfect
2
3
Linear / continuous past events / forward / 1, 2, 3 …
1
Nonlinear
1
2
2
3
Non-continuous past events
3
1, 0, 2, 1, 3,0…
SM-S
Linear / continuous past events / forward / 1, 2, 3 …
Nonlinear
Non-continuous past events
FB-Pa
1, 0, 2, 1, 3,0…
James cleaned the park. Then he was
hungry so he ate a fish. After lunch, he
forgot to feed his pets.
James cleaned the park which he had
found dirty. Then he was hungry so he
ate a fish which he had caught by
himself. After he had had lunch, he
forgot to feed his pets.
11
P
M
Somebody
broke into
the house
Last month
7
A
M
We woke up in
the morning
and found.
7
AM
We called
the police
11
P
M
Somebody
broke into the
house
Last month
7
A
M
7
AM
We woke up in
the morning
We called the
police
When we woke up in the morning, we found that
somebody had broken into the house. That was
when called the police.
Last month
11
P
M
7
A
M
Somebody broke
into the house
7
AM
We woke up in the
morning
We called the
police
When we woke up in the morning, we found that somebody had
broken into the house. That was when called the police.
*Woke up
*Found
1
1
*was
*called
2
Had broken
Last month
7
A
M
7
AM
A woman
walked into the
room.
She was a
complete
stranger.
Last month
…
I had not
seen her.
7
A
M
7
AM
A woman
walked into the
room.
She was a
complete
stranger.
Last month
…
I had not
seen her.
7
A
M
7
AM
A woman
walked into the
room.
She was a
complete
stranger.
A woman walked into the room. She was a
complete stranger. I had not seen her before.
Last month
7
A
M
7
AM
A woman walked into
the room.
She was a complete
stranger.
…
I had not seen her.
A woman walked into the room. She was a
complete stranger. I had not seen her before.
*Walked in
1
1
*was (stranger)
2
Had (not) seen
Jake offered Jane something to eat, but Jane was
not hungry. She just had had her breakfast.
Jake offered Jane something to eat, but Jane was
not hungry. She just had had her breakfast.
Jake offered
Jane something
to eat.
8
A
M
Yesterday
Jane said she
was not
hungry.
8
A
M
Jake offered Jane something to eat, but Jane was
not hungry. She just had had her breakfast.
Jane had had
her
breakfast.
7
A
M
Jake offered Jane said she
Jane something
was not
to eat.
hungry.
8
A
M
Yesterday
8
A
M