过去完成时

过去完成时的基本用法与现在完成时相似，所不同的是：现在完成时的动作须用现在以前完成，过去完成时的动作须在过去某一时间以前完成，也就是说发生在“过去的过去”。既然过去完成时的动作发生在过去某一时间之前，那么，使用过去完成时就非现有这样一个过去某一时间不可，如：
I had finished my homework before supper. 我在晚饭前把作业做完了。
该句中的supper即是过去某一时间，而过去完成时had finished这一动作就是在supper之前完成的。如果只说I had finished my work，听者就会觉得难以理解。由此可见，过去完成时可以说是一个相对的时态，它不能离开过去时间而独立存在。再如：
By the end of that year Henry had collected more than a thousand foreign stamps. 到那年年底，亨利已经收集了一千多张外国邮票。（过去时间是the end of that year）
When we got there the basketball match had already started. 我们到那里时，篮球赛已经开始了。（过去时间是when从句）
但过去某一时间也可以暗含在上下文中而不表示出来。比如说，我本是来和对方谈正事的，但一见面却谈起家常而把正事忘了。这时就可以说：
Oh, I had forgotten. 噢，我忘了。（“谈家常”就是过去某一时间）
再如：
The roads were full of people. We hadn’t foreseen that. 路上都是人。这是我们事先未料到的。（过去时间显然暗含在前一句中）
—He’s an invalid. 他是个病人。
—An valid, is he? O, I’m sorry. I hadn’t heard. 病人，是吗？噢，我很难过。我没听说过。（最后一句的意思是：在你告诉我之前，我从未听说过）

注意过去完成时与含有过去一般时的when，than，before等从句连用时，有时从句是全句的重点，如：
Scarcely had we left the house when it began to rain. 我们刚离开家就开始下雨了。
Hardly had we left the house when it began to rain. 我们刚离开家就开始下雨了。
No sooner had we left the house than it began to rain. 我们刚离开家就开始下雨了。
He had only just reached home when a man called to see him. 他刚到家就有人找他。（when在此有“突然”的含义）
I had not gone much farther before I caught them up. 我没有走多远就赶上他们了。（如说Before I had gone much farther, I caught them up，重点则在主句）
They had been married for many years before a child was born to them. 他们结婚后许多年才生了一个孩子。
He had been a squad leader when he was told to be a bodyguard. 他本是一个班长，现在叫他当警卫员。(when在此相当于before)

过去完成时常用在间接引语中，如：
He told me that he had seen the film the day before. 他跟我说他前一天看过那个电影了。
但有时也可以说：
He said he had seen the film yesterday. 他说他昨天看过那个电影了。
前一句中的the day before是合乎语法规则的。后一句中yesterday似乎不甚合乎语法，但在实际生活中并不罕见。对yesterday解释有二：一是yesterday等于the day before，指主句谓语动词动作发生的前一天，这是一种不够严谨的说法。另一种解释是yesterday等于说话人说话时刻的“昨天”。应作哪一种解释，须视上下文而定。再看几个结构稍有不同的例子：
Only yesterday, it seemed to her, she had born Sophia. 她似乎觉得她昨天才生的索菲亚。(yesterday显然以谓语动词seemed为准)
I had seen them coming back last night; I saw them going afield again. 我昨晚看见他们回来；今天又看到他们下地了。（last night显然以说话人的说话时刻为准）
与yesterday类似的还有ago一词，如：
Five minutes ago they’d tried to run away. 五分钟前，他们试图逃跑。（根据上下文，five minutes ago是以说话人说话时刻为准的。但如孤立地看，它就会有歧义了）
当然，间接引语如有具体年月日，就不会有任何歧义，如：
He believed that he had been born in 1944 or 1945. 他认为他出生于1944或1945年。（由于有具体的过去时间，可用was代替had been。二者无甚区别，只是前者较为简便，后者较为正规而已）
也可用when从句表示具体时间，如：
He said he had not seen any enemy troops when he left the village. 他说他离开村子时没有看见有敌军。

过去完成时常用来倒叙过去某一时间之前所发生的一系列事件，如：
The Reds also knew about Shih Ta-kai and that the main cause of his defeat had been a costly delay. Arriving at the banks of the Tatu, Prince Shih had paused for three days to honor the birth of his son—an imperial prince. Those days of rest had given his enemy the chance to concentrate against him, and to make the swift marches in his rear that blocked his line of retreat. Realizing his mistake too late, Prince Shih had tried to break the enemy encirclement, but it was impossible to maneuver in the narrow terrain of the defiles, and he was erased from the map. 红军也是知道石达开的，知道他失败的主要原因是坐失良机。石达开到达大渡河河岸以后，因为得子——小王爷——而庆祝了三日，这就使敌人有时机集中兵力，迅速开到他的后方，切断他的退路。石达开发觉自己的错误时，已经晚了。他企图突围，但终因在狭隘的峡谷中无法用兵而被消灭。

过去完成时常与过去一般时连用。在时间先后方面，共有三种情况：
1）过去完成时先于过去一般时，如：
The rain had stopped and the air was clean. 雨停了，空气清新。
2）过去完成时与过去一般时同时，如：
As they talked, they had reached a house in a dark street. 他们说着话就走到了黑暗街道上的一所房屋前。
3）过去完成时后于过去一般时，如：
When the book was published, he had become the most popular writer of the time. 此书出版以后，他就成为当时最受欢迎的作家了。
过去完成时也可与过去进行时连用。如：
The opera troupe had come, they were preparing for the night show. 歌剧团已到，他们正在准备晚上的演出。
过去完成时也常与另一过去完成时连用。如：
She had nursed her father in that room when she had been but a baby. 她在那个房间护理她的父亲，那时她还是只是个孩子。
过去完成时与现在时态连用的情况亦值得注意。用这种过去完成时时，其所依附的“过去某一时间”常为读者所知，故省去不表。如：
Chekhov is well know to Chinese readers, and had exerted a positive influence on many Chinese writers. 契诃夫对中国读者来说是非常熟悉的，他曾经对许多中国作家产生过积极影响。（过去完成时had exerted与现在一般时is连用。二者有一时隔）
有时“过去某一时间”可在上下文中找到，如：
He was bigger than I expected: I do not know why I had imagined him slender and of insignificant appearance. 他比我预想的要魁梧：我不知道我为什么曾想象他是个细长个儿，仪表不足道。（过去某一时间暗含在句子开头省去I found that…）
过去完成时亦可与现在完成时连用。如：
Many high-wire walkers have died on their last step, thinking they had made it. 许多走绳索者死在最后一走上，这时他们认为已经表演成功了。（“过去某一时间”表现在thinking）

过去完成时有时表一种未实现的愿望或想法，过去时间往往由过去一般时所表达。如：
I had meant to come, but something happened. 我本想来，但有事就没有来。
I had intended to speak, but time did not permit. 我本想发言，可是时间不允许。

过去完成时有时并不用于倒叙表“过去的过去”，而只是强调一过去时间的动作的完成，并往往有“突然”、“快速”等含义。这种过去完成时往往有时间状语。
1）一种状语是now，by now，then，by then等，但这些时间状语常可由上下文看出，故可省去不用。如：
We had then been without sleep for twenty-four hours. 这时我们已有24小时没有合眼了。
In the outer office a door slammed. Nelson Chase had come to work. 只听得外面办公室砰的一声，纳尔逊•蔡斯来上班了。
2）另一种时间状语是表过去将来的，如soon，ten minutes later，in two weeks等。如：
I had soon told the story. 我很快就讲完了故事。
Five minutes later, they had left the building. 五分钟后，他们离开了大楼。
正如现在完成时可表“将来”一样，过去完成时亦可表“过去的将来”。如：
He said he would come as soon as he had finished his work. 他说他一干完活就来。（had finished表“过去的将来”。但如would come表“将来”，had finished亦表“将来”）
注意英语表“过去的过去”以前的时间，仍用过去完成时。如：
She told me she’d been happier than she’d ever been before. 她告诉我这一段时间她比以往都要愉快。（第一个had been表“过去的过去”，第二个had been表“过去的过去的过去”）