IELTS Grammar: How to use the Past Perfect

We can use Past Perfect when

• there are 2 consecutive actions in the past (The train left. I arrived.)
• you want to link the 2 actions with a linking word (When…)
• you want to add drama and interest to your story

Look at this example. It is correct but sounds weird:

I forgot my passport. I suddenly realised.

(TWO consecutive actions.TWO sentences. Simple Past, in the same order they happened.)

I suddenly realised that I had forgotten my passport.

(ONE sentence, a linking word, in a different order from how they happened)

Which one sounds better? The second one.

So we can use the Past Perfect with phrases like I realised that…, I noticed that…, I remembered that…I discovered that…I found out that…

We used it a lot in the Speaking Challenge, to answer questions like:

‘Have you ever lost your phone?’

‘Yes, I was travelling to work and when I sat down I realised my phone had fallen out of my pocket’.

‘Have you ever made a complaint?’ ‘

‘Yes I was staying in a hotel, and I had never been to a hotel by myself before. When they gave me the bill, I noticed that they had charged me for lots of things I hadn’t ordered!’.

We also use Past Perfect to explain situations in the past (the linking word is now because) e.g.

I was hungry because I hadn’t had any breakfast.

I failed the test because I hadn’t revised.