时态详解:过去完成时

时态详解：过去完成时

一、过去完成时的理解

正如我们不能将现在完成时简单地理解为现在已经完成的动作一样，过去完成时也不

能简单地理解为过去已经完成的动作。但是，相对现在完成时来说，过去完成时的理解和

用法要容易得多。因为过去完成时的本质用法只有五个字，那就是“过去的过去”——即

过去完成时表示的是在“过去的过去”就已发生的情况或存在的状态。如何理解“过去的

过去”呢？首先我们得确定一个过去时间作为参照点，在这个过去时间参照点之前的时间

就是过去的过去。我们可以画出下面这样的图示来帮助理解：

————过去的过去————过去（参照点）————现在————→

如果没有参照点，“去年”是过去，“前年”是过去，“10年前”也是过去，“100

年前”也是过去，“100万年前”也是过去。但是，如果我们确定了一个参照点，情况就

不同了——如果我们以“去年”为参照点，那么“去年的前一年”就成了过去的过去；又

如我们说“他找到了他丢失的钱包”，其中“找到钱包”属于过去，以此为参照点，“丢

失钱包”就属于过去的过去；再比如说“我昨天去朋友家玩，但当我到达时朋友外出了”，

在这个句子中，“到达朋友家”为过去，以此为参照点，“朋友外出”就属于过去的过去。

这样解释，你应该明白了吗？

二、过去完成的构成与用法

前面讲过，现在完成时的构成方法是“have / has +过去分词”，如果我们把其中的

have / has 改为过去式，变成“had + 过去分词”，这就是过去完成时的构成方法。如：

When the doctor arrived the patient had died. 医生到时病人已死了。

根据句意可知，“医生到达”为过去发生的动作，故用一般过去时；而当医生到时病

人已死了，所以“病人死”就是过去的过去发生的情况，故用过去完成时。

She told me she had been with IBM for five years. 她告诉我说，她在国际商用机器公司

已工作5年了。

根据句意可知，“她告诉我”为过去发生的情况，用一般过去时；而“她在国际商用

机器公司工作5年”显然是“她告诉我”之前的事情，即属于过去的过去，所以用过去完

成时。

I woke up becau I had had a bad dream. 我醒了，因为我做了个噩梦。

“我醒了”为过去发生的情况，用一般过去时；我为什么醒了呢？是因为我做了个噩

梦，显然“做噩梦”发生在“醒”之前，也就是说发生在过去的过去时间里，所以“做噩

梦”要用过去完成时。

When we got there the basketball match had already started. 我们到那里时，篮球赛已经

开始了。

“我们到达那里”为过去发生的情况，故用一般过去时；而我们到那里时篮球赛已经

开始了，这说明“篮球赛开始”发生在“我们到达那里”这一过去时间之前，即属于过去

的过去，所以“篮球赛开始”要用过去完成时。

三、过去完成时的用法补充

1. 表示过去未曾实现的想法

过去完成时除表示“过去的过去”外，还可表示过去未曾实现的想法和打算，通常连

用的动词是 want, think, hope, plan, mean, expect, intend, suppo 等：

I had meant to come, but something happened. 我本想来，但有事就没有来。

I had hoped to nd him a Christmas card, but I forgot to do so. 我本来希望寄给他一张

圣诞卡的，但我忘了寄了。

2. 过去完成时用于特殊句式

在hardly [scarcely, barely]„when [before]„和no sooner„than„等句式中，主句通常

要用过去完成时，而从句则通常要用一般过去时。这类句式均表示“一„„就„„”。如：

I had hardly clod my eyes when the telephone rang. 我刚合上眼，电话铃就响了。

I had no sooner checked into the hotel than he arrived. 我一住进旅馆，他就到了。

四、过去完成时用法的一点注意

当两个或多个过去发生的动作紧挨着并列出现时，尽管各动词之间有先后关系，我们

仍然都用一般过去时。如：

Bill saluted, turned, and went out. 比尔敬礼后转身就出去了。

He paud and shook his head. 他稍停了一下，然后摇了摇头。

另外，由after, before, as soon as 等连词引导时间状语从句，由于这些连词已经清楚地

表明了主从句谓语动词的先后顺序，所以对于先发生的动作也可用一般过去时表示。如：

I told them the news after you (had) left. 你走后我把这消息告诉了他们。

As soon as I (had) put the phone down it rang again. 我刚把电话一放下，它又响了。

五、过去完成时与一般过去时

(1) 过去完成时表示以过去某时间为起点以前所发生的动作或存在的状态，

即：过去完成时强调“过去的过去”，而一般过去时只表示以现在时间为起点以前

所发生的事情或存在的状态。如：

He studied there two years ago. 他在那儿学习了两年。(离现在两年)

He said he had studied there two years ago. 他说他在那儿学习了两年。(离他说

话时两年)

(2) 表示过去某个时间以前所连续发生的两个或两个以上的动作时，一般用

and, then, but按照动作的先后顺序连接，此时通常用一般过去时而不用过去完成

时。如：

He said he went the shop and bought some food. 他说他去商店买了一些食品。

六、过去完成时典型考题（附详解）

1. Helen ______ her keys in the office so she had to wait until her husband ______ home.

A. has left; comes B. left; had come C. had left; came D. had left; would come

分析：C。leave 应发生在 had to wait 这个过去动作之前，“过去的过去”用过去完成时; 后

一空用一般过去时表示过去将来。又如：

The hou was quiet. Everybody had gone to bed. 屋子里很安静，大家都睡觉了。

They had finished the exam and the teacher was hustling to get the papers gathered up. 他们

已经考完试了，老师正在赶紧收卷子。

People were quite often rude about him, often the people he had helped. 人们经常对他很无

礼，其中有很多还曾得到过他的帮助。

2. John and I ______ friends for eight years. We first got to know each other at a Christmas

party. But we ______ each other a couple of times before that.

分析：D。到目前为止成为朋友八年，用现在完成时; 在那次晚会相识成为朋友之前已

经见过几次面，用过去完成时。又如：

The call was answered by a recorded message saying the company had clod early. 电话被

转入录音信息，称公司早些时候已经下班。

Alice had been so deep in thought that she had walked past her car without even eing it. 艾

丽斯考虑问题入了神，连走过自己的车都没看见。

3. He kept looking at her, wondering whether he ______her somewhere.

A. saw B. has en C. es D. had en

分析：D。因为由语境可知，e应当发生在kept looking之前，即过去的过去，所以用

过去完成时，只有D正确。又如：

When I had opened the windows I sat down and had a cup of tea. 我打开窗户后，就坐下来

喝了一杯茶。

When I had written my letters I did some gardening. 我写完信之后，就在花园里点活

儿。

When he had shut the window we opened the door of the cage. 他关了窗户之后，我们把笼

门打开了。

4. She ______her hairstyle in her hometown before she came to Chongqing for a better job.

A. would change B. has changed C. changed D. was changing

分析：C。由came可知，她已来重庆了，而改变发型是在来重庆之前，即过去的过去，

按理要用过去完成时，但before已经表明紧接着发生的先后两个动作，所以也可用一般过

去时，所以选C。

5. He ______more than 5000 English words when he entered the university at the age of 15.

A. has learned B. would have learned C. learned D. had learned

分析：D。因为上大学是过去，学了5千个英语单词是在上大学之前，即“过去的过去”，

所以用过去完成时。

6. Father ______for London on business upon my arrival, so I didn’t e him.

A. has left B. left C. was leaving D. had left

分析：D。由“我没见到他”可知，“在我到达”前“父亲已经去伦敦”了，即父亲去

伦敦发生在“过去的过去”，用过去完成时。

7. The policeman’s attention was suddenly caught by a small box which ______ placed under

the Minister’s car.

A. has been B. was being C. had been D. would be

分析：C。因为这个小盒子“被放在部长车下”发生在“引起警察注意”之前，即“过

去的过去”，所以用过去完成时。

8. Susan decided not to work on the program at home becau she didn’t want her parents to

know what she ______.

A. has done B. had done C. was doing D. is doing

分析：C。因decided和didn’t want都是过去式，排除选项A和D; 因“做”发生在“决

定”之后，而不是之前，不能用过去完成时，排除选项B。

9. —Hurry up! Alice and Sue are waiting for you at the school gate.

—Oh ! I thought they ______ without me.

A. went B. are going C. have gone D. had gone

分析：D。因为thought(原以为)是过去，他们“走了”就是“过去的过去”，所以用过

去完成时。

10. They ______ on the program for almost one week before I joined them, and now

we ______ it as no good results have come out so far.

A. had been working; are still working B. had worked; were still working

C. have been working; have worked D. have worked; are still working

分析：A。在I joined them之前，就是“过去的过去”，要用过去完成时或过去完成进

行时，排除选项C和D; 由now和“到目前还没有结果”可知，现在仍在进行这项工作，用

现在进行时，排除选项B。

11. The coffee is wonderful! It doesn’t taste like anything I ______ before.

A. was having B. have C. have ever had D. had ever had

分析：C。与before连用，用现在完成时。再说，此处没有一个过去时间或动作作比较，

是不能用过去完成时的。

12. The young girl sitting next to me on the plane was very nervous. She ______ before.

A. hasn’t flown B. didn’t fly C. hadn’t flown D. wasn’t flying

分析：C。用于供参照的过去时间为was nervous(当时坐飞机很紧紧)，与之相比较，hadn’t

flown(没有坐过飞机)显然属于“过去的过去”，故用过去完成时。

13. I was giving a talk to a large group of people, the same talk I ______ to half a dozen other

groups.

A. was giving B. am giving C. had given D. have given

分析：C。许多同学可能会简单地根据前面的was giving而误选A。但事实上，此题提

供的语境是：我当时正在给一群人作报告，这个报告我曾给其他若干批人讲过。由于was

giving为过去进行时，而“曾给其他若干批人讲过”显然发生在was giving这一过去时间之

前，故用过去完成时，即答案选C。

14. John, a friend of mine, who got married only last week, spent $3, 000 more than

he ______ for the wedding.

A. will plan B. has planned C. would plan D. had planned

分析：D。首先将选项分成两组：C和D为“过去组”，A和B为“非过去组”，而根

据句中的got married和last week可推知，此题的答案应在“过去组”中。然后再根据句意

比较get married与plan的先后关系，显然是先“计划”，后“结婚”，而“结婚”在句中

用了一般过去时，故“计划”要用过去完成时。

15. They became friends again that day. Until then, they ______ to each other for nearly two

years.

A. didn’t speak B. hadn’t spoken C. haven’t spoken D. haven’t been speaking

分析：B。由于他们再次成为朋友发生在过去(因为became用的是一般过去时)，这就说

明他们差不多有两年没说过话属于“过去的过去”，所以要用过去完成时。

16. —It was really very kind of you to give me a lift home.

—Oh, don’t mention it. I ______ past your hou anyway.

A. was coming B. will come C. had come D. have come

分析：A。根据前面一句中的was可知，搭车的事发生在过去，所以“我开车要经过你

的家门口”也发生在过去，因此可排除B和D。而在剩下的A和C中，不能选C，是因为

C为过去完成时，表示“过去的过去”，与句意不符。

17. I ______ there little more than a week when I t to work with the scientist.

A. would be B. have been C. had been D. will be

分析：C。由于t to work with the scientist这一动作发生在过去，而be there与t to work

的先后关系是：be there在先，t to work在后。所以be there发生的时间属于“过去的过去”，

故用过去完成时。

18. The play had already been on for quite some time when we ______ at the New Theatre.

A. have arrived B. arrived C. had arrived D. arrive

分析：B。由于句中的had already been用的是过去完成时，而根据句意，arrive显然应

发生在其后，故要用一般过去时。全句意为：当我们到达新剧院时，戏已经演了好一会儿了。

19. —Did Alan enjoy eing his old friends yesterday?

—Yes, he did. He ______ his old friends for a long time.

A. didn’t e B. wouldn’t e C. hasn’t en D. hadn’t en

分析：D。由于见朋友发生在过去(即昨天)，而很久没有见到朋友自然是昨天的见面之

前，即属于过去的过去，故用过去完成时。

20. The hotel wasn’t particularly good. But I ______ in many wor hotels.

A. was staying B. stayed C. would stay D. had stayed

分析：D。根据The hotel wasn’t particularly good这一句中的一般过去时可推知stay in

many wor hotels要用过去完成时，因为它发生在wasn’t之前。

21. We first met on a train in 2000. We both felt immediately that we ______ each other for

years.

A. knew B. have known C. had known D. know

分析：C。根据主句中的felt可知，其后的宾语从句应用过去时态，故可排除B和D；

再根据语境和句中的for years可知用过去完成时比用一般过去时更佳。

22. The moment I got home, I found I ______ my jacket on the playground.

A. had left B. left C. have left D. was leaving

分析：A。因为“把夹克上衣落在操场上”这一动作发生在“发现”这一过去动作之前，

所以要用过去完成时。

23. Mary went to the box office at lunchtime, but all the tickets ______ out.

A. would ll B. had sold C. have sold D. was lling

分析：B。句意为：玛丽午餐时间去售票处，但所有的票都已售罄。很显然，票在玛丽

到达前已售完，属于过去的过去，故用过去完成时。又如：I finally had to ll the car, but it had

rved its turn. 我最后只好把汽车卖了，不过也算是物尽其用了。

24. John was given the same suitca his father and grandfather ______ with them to school.

A. took B. had taken C. were taking D. would take

分析：B。根据句意，约翰的爸爸和爷爷用这个皮箱是发生在约翰得到这个皮箱之前，

所以空格处应填过去完成时。句意为：约翰的爸爸和爷爷以前上学用的皮箱现在被拿给约翰

用了。

25. She stared at the painting, wondering where she ______ it.

A. saw B. has en C. es D. had en

分析：D。因动词e所表示的动先于stare和wonder之前，所以它要用过去完成时。

答案D。句意为：她盯着那幅画，琢磨着在哪看过这幅画。

26. —Were you surprid by the ending of the film?

—No, I ______ the book, so I already knew the story.

A. was reading B. had read C. am reading D. have read

分析：B。由于问句中用的时态是一般过去时(were)，说明对话双方是在谈论一部过去

看过的电影；而根据so I already knew the story（所以我已经知道故事情节了）可知，说话者

“看这本书”应该是在“看电影”之前，故用过去完成时。

27. It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate what they ______ for me.

A. had done B. did C. would do D. were doing

分析：A。比较主句中的动词take与从句中的动词do，很显然do在先，take在后，而

take在句中用的是一般过去时，故do要用过去完成时。

28. I was just going to cut my ro bushes but someone ______ it. Was it you?

A. has done B. had done C. would do D. will do

分析：B。根据句意可知，“有人给玫瑰剪枝”发生在“我去给玫瑰剪枝”之前，而“我

去给玫瑰剪枝”用的是I was just going to cut my ro…这样的过去时态，故“有人给玫瑰剪

枝”发生在这一过去时间之前，也就是“过去的过去”，故用过去完成时。

29. —Peter, where did you guys go for the summer vacation?

—We ______ busy with our work for months, so we went to the beach to relax ourlves.

A. were B. have been C. had been D. will be

分析：C。根据句意可知，“很忙”在“去海边放松”之前，而“去海边放松”用的是

一般过去时went，所以“很忙”应用过去完成时had been。

30. Last month, the Japane government expresd their thanks for the aid

they ______ from China.

A. receive B. are receiving C. have received D. had received

分析：D。本句意为：上个月，日本政府表达了他们从中国得到的援助。从时间上看，

应该是先得到援助，然后才表示感谢，由于“表达”用的是一般过去时（expresd），所以

“得到援助”就应用过去完成时（had received）。又如：

He was conscious that he had annoyed his boss. 他意识到他惹烦了上司。

Although he had only entered the contest for fun, he won first prize. 尽管他参加这次竞赛只

不过是闹着玩儿而已，却赢得了头奖。

31. We arrived at work in the morning and found that somebody ______into the office during

the night.

A. broke B. had broken C. has broken D. was breaking

分析：B。从时间上看，肯定是先有人在夜间闯进了办公室，然后才会有人发现这个情

况。由于“发现”用的是一般过去时（found），所有夜间“闯进”办公室，就应用过去完

成时（had broken）。又如：

I went home directly I had finished work. 我一干完工作就回家了。

32. By the time Jack returned home from England, his son ______ from college.

A. graduated B. has graduated C. had been D. had graduated

分析：D。本句意为：当杰克从英格兰返回家时，他的儿子已经大学毕业了。显然，儿

子大学毕业在先，杰克返回家在后。而“返回”家用的是一般过去时（returned），故儿子

大学毕业要用过去完成时（had graduated）。又如：

I read that he had resigned. 我看到他已辞职的报道。

The weather was rather wor than I had expected. 天气要比我预料的还坏。

33. She was surprid to find the fridge empty; the child ______ everything!

A. had been eating B. had eaten C. have eaten D. have been eating

分析：B。句子前面说她发现冰箱是空的，她感到很吃惊，而冰箱为什么是空的呢？是

因为里面的东西都被孩子们吃掉了。显然，孩子们吃掉冰箱里面的东西在先，她发现这个情

况在后，而She was surprid to find the fridge empty用的是一般过去时，故孩子们“吃掉”

冰箱里面的东西要用过去完成时（had eaten）。又如：

That the attempt to save her had failed soon became widely known. 想救她而未救成，此事

不久已尽人皆知。

I was surprid when I saw the farm. I had imagined it to be much bigger. 我看到那个农场

时很吃惊，我原认为会它会大得多。

34. —What a mistake!

—Yes. I ______ his doing it another way, but without success.

A. was suggesting B. will suggest C. would suggest D. had suggested

分析：D。根据句中的What a mistake（真是个愚蠢的错误）和without success（没有成

功）可知，“没有成功”的情况已经发生了。为什么说是个愚蠢的错呢？为什么没有成功呢？

原来是说话者建议他用另外一种方法来做，很显然，“建议”他用另外一种方法来做在先，

他照去做并且没有成功这件事在后，所以“建议”这个动作应用过去完成时（had suggested）。

又如：

Only tho who had booked in advance were allowed in. 只有那些预先订票的人可以进去。

She emailed her husband that she had pasd the entry examination. 她发电子邮件告知其

夫，她通过了入学考试。