Objectives & Sequence: This lesson is intended to be used as a preview of Grammar - Past Perfect Simple.
Part One
Work with a partner. Listen and practice the following conversations:
A: How was your trip to England? Did you enjoy it?
B: Yes, we had a wonderful time. It didn't even rain once while we were there.
A: No kidding? Did you check out Stonehenge?
B: No, we'd been there before. We stayed mostly in London this trip.
A: What were you doing when the earthquake struck, James?
B: I was at work. I was teaching my class like I do every other Thursday morning. You?
A: I was still at home in bed. I hadn't even woken up yet.
B: I'm sure you woke up when the room started shaking, though, right?
A: I sure did.
A: Did anyone die or get hurt in the fire?
B: No, everyone was very lucky.
A: So everyone had gotten out of the building before the fire got out of control?
B: Well, not exactly. One lady was on the twelfth floor and couldn't get out. Firefighters rescued her from her window.
A: Wow. That's good.
A: Why are you turning around?
B: I think the GPS is broken. When we left, it was telling me to go west, but now it's telling me to go east.
A: Didn't you check the map before we left?
B: No, I didn't. I'd never had problems with this GPS so I thought we'd be okay.
A: Well, maybe before we head back, we should find a gas station and ask which way to go.
B: Yeah, you're probably right.
Part Two
Look at the blue words in the conversations above. This is called the Past Perfect Simple tense. With your partner, discuss what you know about this tense. What does it mean? When is it used? What does it mean in the conversations above?