Past Perfect Tense Exercises with Answer » Onlymyenglish.com - Free Printable

Let's solve this Past Perfect Tense Worksheet step by step. The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action or time in the past. It is formed using:

> had + past participle

We’ll go through each sentence and fill in the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

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1. She had written a novel on humanity. (write)

✔ Already given: had written
✔️ Correct – "had written" is the past perfect of "write".

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2. He ________ his homework yesterday. (do)

We need the past perfect of "do".
→ had done
But wait: "yesterday" is a specific time in the past, not referring to an earlier past event. However, since the worksheet focuses on past perfect, we assume it's testing the tense even if the context seems odd.

So:
👉 He had done his homework yesterday.
This implies he finished it *before* some other event yesterday.
✔ Answer: had done

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3. They ________ a bad man very badly on the road. (beat)

Past perfect of "beat" → had beaten
→ They had beaten a bad man very badly on the road.
This suggests they beat him before something else happened in the past.

✔ Answer: had beaten

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4. She had ________ a beautiful dress at the party. (wear)

Past perfect of "wear" → had worn
→ "She had worn a beautiful dress at the party."
This means she wore it before the party started or before another event.

✔ Answer: worn

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5. John ________ to the wedding ceremony. (come)

Past perfect of "come" → had come
→ "John had come to the wedding ceremony."
This would be used if we're talking about an earlier moment in the past when he arrived before something else.

✔ Answer: had come

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6. ______ the snake ________ on his leg? (bite)

This is a question in the past perfect tense.
Structure: Had + subject + past participle?
→ Had the snake bitten on his leg?
Note: "bitten" is the past participle of "bite".

✔ Answer: Had...bitten

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7. He ________ any cash amount to the dealer. (not/pay)

Negative past perfect: had not paid → hadn't paid
→ "He had not paid any cash amount to the dealer."
(Or: "He hadn't paid...")

✔ Answer: had not paid or hadn't paid

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8. We ________ any game from yesterday. (not/play)

Negative past perfect: had not played → hadn't played
→ "We had not played any game from yesterday."
(Note: This might sound awkward — perhaps it should be “from the previous day” — but grammatically, it’s okay.)

✔ Answer: had not played or hadn't played

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9. The car ________ far away in the tornado. (blow)

Past perfect of "blow" → had blown
→ "The car had been blown far away in the tornado."
Wait! Here, the car is the receiver of the action — it was blown. So we need passive voice.

So:
→ The car had been blown far away in the tornado.

But the verb given is just "blow", so we must use passive past perfect:
✔ had been blown

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10. She ________ her puppy on the road. (not/leave)

Negative past perfect: had not left → hadn't left
→ "She had not left her puppy on the road."
This means before some point in the past, she hadn’t left the puppy.

✔ Answer: had not left or hadn't left

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✔ Final Answers:

| No | Sentence | Answer |
|----|--------|--------|
| 1 | She had written a novel on humanity. | had written |
| 2 | He ________ his homework yesterday. | had done |
| 3 | They ________ a bad man very badly on the road. | had beaten |
| 4 | She had ________ a beautiful dress at the party. | worn |
| 5 | John ________ to the wedding ceremony. | had come |
| 6 | ______ the snake ________ on his leg? | Had...bitten |
| 7 | He ________ any cash amount to the dealer. | had not paid / hadn't paid |
| 8 | We ________ any game from yesterday. | had not played / hadn't played |
| 9 | The car ________ far away in the tornado. | had been blown |
| 10 | She ________ her puppy on the road. | had not left / hadn't left |

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🔍 Explanation Summary:

- The past perfect tense is used for actions completed before another past action.
- Structure: had + past participle
- For negative: had not + past participle
- For questions: Had + subject + past participle?
- Passive voice: had been + past participle (used in #9)

Let me know if you'd like this worksheet with explanations printed out!