Past Perfect

Прошедшее совершенное (предпрошедшее) время употребляется для выражения действия, закончившегося к определенному моменту в прошлом или до другого действия в прошлом. Аналога в русском языке нет.

Упр. 4. Прочитайте вслух и объясните, почему употреблено то или иное время:

1. When we arrived at the theatre, the play had already begun.

2. When we arrived at the theatre, the play hadn’t begun yet.

3. When we arrived at the theatre, the play was beginning.

4. It was five to ten in the morning. The exhibition had not yet opened, but all the preparations for the opening ceremony had been made, and a lot of people who had come to watch it were waiting outside.

5. Many reporters wanted to talk to the winner, but he was too tired to talk. He had run a long race and wanted to rest. He was very happy, because it was his first real victory. He had never taken part in such an outstanding event before.

race [res] n — любое соревнование на скорость: бег, скачки и т.д.;

victory [‘vktәr] — победа.

Упр. 5. Раскройте скобки, употребив необходимую глагольную форму:

When we (join) a group of tourists, who (stand) in front of an old church and (listen) to the guide, she already (tell) them most of the story. When she (finish) speaking, I (go up) to her and (ask) her a few questions. She (be) kind enough to answer them, and I (find out) that the church (be designed and built) at the turn of the 15^th century by an unknown architect.

Упр. 6. Прочитайте начало детективных рассказов и придумайте свои версии окончания:

1. When John was driving home, he had an unpleasant feeling that something had happened while he was away. He parked the car and went to open the front door. He turned the key, the door opened, and he found himself in the hall. When he went into the sitting room, he saw that someone had been there, because the room was in a terrible mess. Then he remembered that he hadn’t locked the front door. He turned to go and lock the door and saw a man standing in the hall. John thought he had seen the face before. «What are you doing here?» he asked. «I … I have lost my way», the stranger answered …

lock — запереть stranger [‘strendʒә ] n c — незнакомец

2. When the detectives arrived, the auction was in full swing. A picture by a famous painter had just been sold. The new owner had paid an enormous sum for it. He did not know that the picture had been stolen from an art gallery in a small European state. The auctioneer did not know that either, but the detectives did …

steal (stole, stolen) — украсть auctioneer [,Ɔ:kòә’nә] n c — аукционер