1.1 Paco had already seen the film

2. A newspaper was left on the bedside table

3. Paco finds a heart under a hat in a hut.

Listening activity

After reading the whole short story, Paco couldn't stop thinking of the children working at the diamond mines. He switched on the TV and he could see a trailer for a relatively modern film he had already seen in Spain: Blood Diamond. That film, together with the ruby-eyed dolphin of the short story, made him think of how much people love precious stones. No matter the diamond miners' suffering. No matter whether those miners are just little children. Only money matters, he thought, and he felt sad, as sad as he had felt when he witnessed the telling off in the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. Perhaps, the situation in Africa had not changed so much as he thought.

Watch the trailer for the movie "Blood Diamond". Then, underline the sentences in the Past Perfect tense that appear in the passage.

The three sentences in the Past Perfect tense in the passage refer to actions that had taken place before other actions in the past. Quite frequently then, the actions in the Past Simple are included in the sentence to mark the reference:

He switched on the TV and he could see a trailer for a relatively modern film he had already seen in Spain: Blood Diamond.
... he felt sad, as sad as he had felt when he witnessed the telling off in the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg.
... the situation in Africa had not changed so much as he thought.

Although that reference is not always a Past Simple tense. It can also be a complement of time referring to the past. E.g.: He had seen that film twice by February.

Further knowledge

Watch the video on the left to have a quick look at something really interesting about the Past Perfect! Then have a look at the presentation on the right to get more information about this tense!

Finally, as always, the best way to improve your English is by practising, so, complete the following online exercises.

Actividad de Espacios en Blanco

Fill in the blanks with either a Past Simple or Past Perfect tense of the verbs in brackets.

By William Hook. C. Commons

Paco JXUwMDMwJXUwMDA5JXUwMDA1 JXUwMDJiJXUwMDE2JXUwMDAwJXUwMDBi (see) the film before he JXUwMDJmJXUwMDE4JXUwMDAx (win) the lottery. Leonardo DiCaprio was one of his favourite actors. He remembers that the day he JXUwMDJmJXUwMDEyJXUwMDBiJXUwMDFh (go) to the cinema to see the film, he could not pay the ticket, since he JXUwMDMwJXUwMDA5JXUwMDA1 JXUwMDM0JXUwMDAzJXUwMDFjJXUwMDA3 (lose) his wallet. He had no money. Andrés JXUwMDI4JXUwMDExJXUwMDA4JXUwMDBk (pay) it for him. He JXUwMDMwJXUwMDA5JXUwMDA1 JXUwMDJhJXUwMDE3JXUwMDA0JXUwMDA1 (already read) what the film JXUwMDJmJXUwMDE2JXUwMDEy (be) about. He was very interested in the plot. So, he (enjoy) the film a lot. By the time he (purchase) the dvd, together with others in February, he JXUwMDMwJXUwMDA5JXUwMDA1 JXUwMDJiJXUwMDE2JXUwMDAwJXUwMDBi (see) the film twice.

Curiosity

The subject of the film Blood Diamond has frequently been a recurrent theme for artists. Not only can we find films and books which deal with it, but also songs that socially and publicly condemn what has been happening in Africa for years. An example of this is the song you can listen to on the right, by Lupe Fiasco. Listen to it and try to follow the singer using the lyrics of the song.

After having studied the form and use of the Past Perfect tense, it's time to move on to the following topic which deals with the so-frequently-used Passive voice in English. It is very easy and, at the same time, very useful and, we dare say, entertaining!

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