Past perfect vs. past perfect progressive explanation
1. X
Past Present Future
X
Take a look at the following illustration:
Each of the Xs represents an event. As you can see, both the events are
located in the past, but the one represented by the red X goes before the
one represented by the blue X. In this case, the blue X represents the past,
and the red X represents the past perfect, which we can summarize as “the
past of the past”. The past perfect refers to actions that happened (and
concluded) before a specific moment (event) in the past. Take a look at the
following example:
2. Leonardo DiCaprio had received a Golden Globe when he got the Oscar.
Leonardo DiCaprio had received a Golden Globe when he got the Oscar.
Let’s locate the events in this sentence in the timeline:
X
Past Present Future
X
So, DiCaprio received (got) an Oscar: this is an event that happened in the
past; but before receiving the Oscar, he received (had received) a Golden
Globe. The past perfect refers to something that occurred before another
action in the past.
3. X
Past Present Future
X
Take a look at the following illustration:
Again, each of the Xs represents an event. Both the events are located in the
past, but this time one of the two events progresses (red arrow) until
another event occurs. Pay attention to how this red arrow represents the
duration of an activity before something else happens in the past, or cause
of that past event. Take a look at the following example:
4. Fans of DiCaprio had been waiting for his award since 1994.
Fans of DiCaprio had been waiting for his award since 1994.
Let’s locate the events in this sentence in the timeline:
The green X represents the moment in which the event occurs in the past, the red
arrow is the duration of this activity, and the blue X is when the second event
marks the end of the progression of the green X. In the sentence, since 1994
marks the beginning of the wait; had been waiting is the progressive event in the
past; his award is the event in the past that marks the end of the progression,
X
Past Present Future
X
