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(grammar) a verb form that shows an action that was completed before another action or time in the past
What is "past perfect tense"?
Past perfect tense is a grammatical form used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past. It emphasizes that one event happened before another event or time. The past perfect is formed using the auxiliary verb "had" followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example, in the sentence "She had finished her work before the meeting," the phrase "had finished" indicates that the action of finishing occurred prior to the meeting. Past perfect tense is essential for clarifying sequences of events in storytelling or reporting, helping to establish timelines and relationships between actions.
past perfect tense