This card teaches the correct sequence of past tenses: Past Perfect for a state that existed for a duration before another past action ('had belonged'), and Past Simple for the completed subsequent action ('sold').
This flashcard teaches the use of the Past Perfect ('had belonged') for a state that existed over a period before another past action, and the Past Simple ('sold') for the subsequent completed action.
| Task | That red car ________ (to belong) to Jim for 3 years before he _______ (to sell) it. |
|---|---|
| Answer | 1 |
| a | had belonged / sold |
| b | had been belonging / sold |
| c | belonged / sold |
| d | had belonged / had sold |
| comment | 1. According to the meaning it would be correct to use the Past Perfect Continuous for the first part because it is obviously important for the speaker to emphasize the duration of the process here: for 3 years. But we remember that non-continuous verbs cannot be used with '-ing'. So it is correct to choose the Past Perfect Tense. 2. We use the Past Simple for completed actions in the past. |
| topic | past tenses |
| level | 2 |
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