标志词:

(1)表示在过去某一时刻或动作以前完成了的动作,也可以说过去的时间关于过去的动作。即“过去的过去”。可以用by,before等介词短语或一个时间状语从句来表示,也可以用一个表示过去的动作来表示,还可能通过上下文来表示。
(2)表示由过去的某一时刻开始,一直延续到过去另一时间的动作或状态,常和for,since构成的时间状语连用。
(3)叙述过去发生的事情,在已叙述了过去发生的事情后,反过来追述或补述以前发生的动作时,常使用过去完成时。
(4)在含有定语从句的主从复合句中,如果叙述的是过去的事,先发生的动作常用过去完成时。
(5)过去完成时常常用在told,said,knew,heard,thought等动词后的宾语从句(或间接引语)中,这时从句中的动作发生在主句表示的过去的动作之前。
(6)状语从句:在过去不同时间发生的两个动作中,发生在前,用过去完成时;发生在后,用一般过去时。
注意:如果两个动作紧接着发生,则常常不用过去完成时,特别是在包含before和after的复合句中,因为这时从句的动作和主句的动作发生的先后顺序已经非常明确,这时可以用一般过去时代替过去完成时。
(7)动词think, want, hope, mean, plan, intend等用过去完成时来表示过去未曾实现的想法,希望,打算或意图等。
(8)过去完成时还可用在hardly…when…, no sooner…than…, It was the first (second, etc) time (that)…等固定句型中。

过去完成时-语法判定
1. 由时间状语来判定 一般说来,各种时态都有特定的时间状语。与过去完成时连用的时间状语有:
( 1 ) by + 过去的时间点。如:I had finished reading the novel by nine o'clock last night.
( 2 ) by the end of + 过去的时间点。
如: We had learned over two thousand English words by the end of last term.
( 3 ) before + 过去的时间点。
如:They had planted six hundred trees before last Wednesday.
2. 由“过去的过去”来判定。 过去完成时表示“过去的过去”,是指过去某一动作之前已经发生或完成的动作,即动作有先后关系,动作在前的用过去完成时,在后的用一般过去时。这种用法常出现在:
( 1 )宾语从句中 当宾语从句的主句为一般过去时,且从句的动作先于主句的动作时,从句要用过去完成时。
在told, said, knew, heard, thought等动词后的宾语从句。
如:She said that she had seen the film before.
( 2 )状语从句中 在时间、条件、原因、方式等状语从句中,主、从句的动作发生有先后关系,动作在前的,要用过去完成时,动作在后的要用一般过去时。
如:After he had finished his homework, he went to bed.
注意:before, after 引导的时间状语从句中,由于 before 和 after 本身已表达了动作的先后关系,若主、从句表示的动作紧密相连,则主、从句都用一般过去时。
如: After he closed the door, he left the classroom.
(3)表示意向的动词,如hope, wish, expect, think, intend, mean, suppose等,用过去完成时表示"原本…,未能…"
We had hoped that you would come, but you didn't.
3. 根据上、下文来判定。
I met Wang Tao in the street yesterday. We hadn't seen each other since he went to Beijing.


典型例题
(1) ---Do you know our town at all?
---No, this is the first time I ___ here.
A. was B. have been C. came D. am coming
答案B. This is the first time 后面所加从句应为现在完成时,故选B。
(2) ---Have you ____ been to our town before?
---No, it's the first time I ___ here.
A. even, come B. even, have come C. ever, come D. ever, have come
答案D. ever意为曾经或无论何时,反意词为never,此两词常用于完成时。 This is the largest fish I have ever seen. It is / was the first time +that-clause 的句型中,从句要用完成时。
注意:非延续性动词的否定形式可以与表示延续时间的状语连用。即动作不发生的状态是可以持续的。
(错)I have received his letter for a month.
(对)I haven't received his letter for almost a month.

过去完成时的时间状语before, by, until , when, after, once, as soon as。
He said that he had learned some English before.
By the time he was twelve, Edison had began to make a living by himself.
Tom was disappointed that most of the guests had left when he arrived at the party.

典型例题
The students ___ busily when Miss Brown went to get a book she ___ in the office.
A. had written, left B,were writing, has left
C. had written, had left D. were writing, had left
答案D. "把书忘在办公室"发生在"去取书"这一过去的动作之前,因此"忘了书"这一动作发生在过去的过去,用过去完成时。句中when表示的是时间的一点,表示在"同学们正忙于……"这一背景下,when所引导的动作发生。因此前一句应用过去进行时。

注意: had no … when 还没等…… 就……
had no sooner… than 刚…… 就……
He had no sooner bought the car than he sold it.