Past Perfect for Business English
Past perfect tenses inform listeners and readers about the completion of an action either at a certain point in the past or in relation to another one. Present perfect tense can be used to speak about two actions in relation to each other in the past or a series of events or actions that occurred up to a certain point. The difference between past simple and past perfect lies in this relation. If what happened in the past is meant to be expressed, then past simple is suitable, but if that action affected or was affected by another one, past perfect is the appropriate tense to transfer the information. The indicator of past perfect is had + pp (past participle form of the verb)
Note: Words such as already, since, yet, since and for are used to indicate the relation between two actions that occurred in the past. In this case, the words before and after are used as well. The word when is used to connect two events or actions.
Example A
Lotus Trading
A timeline of events
| 2018 | Lawrence was appointed as CEO for the fifth time by the board. |
| 2015 | Lotus adjusted its business activities according to the ESG framework. |
| 2014 | Lawrence and Jack decided to turn the company into a private one. |
| 2013 | Lawrence signed business deals with five Asian companies. |
| 2012 | Jack travelled to Asia to discuss business deals. |
| 2011 | Lawrence and Jack discussed engaging in international business deals. |
| 2010 | Lawrence and Jack established Lotus Ltd. |
Past Perfect
When Lawrence signed business deals with Asian companies, Jack had already travelled to Asia to discuss business deals.
Lotus Trading had not signed any international business deals till 2013.
When Lawrence and Jack decided to turn Lotus to a private company, they had not adopted the ESG framework yet.
Lawrence and Jack had signed business deals with Asian companies before Lawrence as appointed as CEO for the fifth time.
Lawrence and Jack had discussed international trade after they established Lotus.
Example B
Lawrence Becket
A timeline of activities
| 2018 | He became CEO for the fifth time since the company became private. |
| 2016 | He was interviewed by international journals for his success. |
| 2012 | Lawrence hired John Winters as the financial manager. |
| 2010 | He established Lotus with his partner. |
| 2009 | Lawrence quit his job to start his own business. |
| 2008 | Lawrence suggested starting a business to Jack. |
Past Perfect
Lawrence had already discussed partnership with Jack before they established Lotus.
International journals had interviewed Lawrence when he became CEO again.
Lawrence had hired John when he was interviewed.
Lawrence had quit his job before he established Lotus.
Conclusion
Past perfect is useful when you are sharing information regarding the completion of an activity in the past in relation to another one. Using words such as when, before, after, and yet can help provide more information regarding those activities.
