English dictionary. 2014.
the past perfect — grammar : the form of the verb that is used in referring to an action that was completed by a particular time in the past ◇ The past perfect in English is formed by using had and the past participle of a verb, as in “She had visited there once… … Useful english dictionary
(the) past perfect — the past perfect UK US noun linguistics a verb tense formed with ‘had’ and a past participle. It is used to express an action that was completed before a particular time in the past, for example ‘had finished’ in the sentence ‘She offered to help … Useful english dictionary
past perfect — past′ per′fect adj. 1) gram. pertaining to or being a verb tense or form indicating that the action or state expressed by the verb was completed prior to a point of reference in the past or that it extended up to or had results continuing up to… … From formal English to slang
the present perfect — grammar : a verb tense that is used to refer to an action that began in the past and is completed at the time of speaking ◇ The present perfect in English is formed with “has” and “have” and the past participle of a verb, as in “He has left,” and … Useful english dictionary
(the) present perfect — the present perfect UK US noun linguistics in English, a verb tense that expresses an action that was completed at some time in the past, or that started in the past and continues. The tense is formed by combining the present tense of ‘have’ and… … Useful english dictionary
The Past — ◊ GRAMMAR For the formation of past tenses, see entry at ↑ Tenses. ◊ talking about the past The simple past tense is used to refer to an event in the past. She opened the door. One other factor influenced him. In or … Useful english dictionary
the past — ◊ GRAMMAR For the formation of past tenses, see entry at ↑ Tenses. ◊ talking about the past The simple past tense is used to refer to an event in the past. She opened the door. One other factor influenced him. In or … Useful english dictionary
past perfect — noun a perfective tense used to express action completed in the past I had finished is an example of the past perfect • Syn: ↑past perfect tense, ↑pluperfect, ↑pluperfect tense • Hypernyms: ↑perfective, ↑perfective tense, ↑ … Useful english dictionary
past perfect tense — noun a perfective tense used to express action completed in the past I had finished is an example of the past perfect • Syn: ↑past perfect, ↑pluperfect, ↑pluperfect tense • Hypernyms: ↑perfective, ↑perfective tense, ↑ … Useful english dictionary
past perfect — ADJ: ADJ n In grammar, the past perfect tenses of a verb are the ones used to talk about things that happened before a specific time. The simple past perfect tense uses had and the past participle of the verb, as in She had seen him before . It… … English dictionary
