B1 Lesson 27: Past Perfect + School

WARM UP

Think about your education.

• Which primary school did you attend?
• Did you enjoy secondary school? Why or why not?
• What academic qualifications do you have?
• Did you always do well at school?
• Would you have liked to attend a boarding school?

Answer in full sentences.

VOCABULARY – SCHOOL & EDUCATION

• primary – primaria
Example: I studied at a primary school near my home.

• qualification – titulación / cualificación
Example: She earned a professional qualification in engineering.

• secondary – secundaria
Example: He attended a secondary school in the city centre.

• year – curso académico / año
Example: I met my best friend in my first year at school.

• attend – asistir a
Example: More than 500 students attend the school.

• boarding school – internado
Example: She studied at a boarding school for five years.

• degree – carrera universitaria / título universitario
Example: He completed a degree in Business Management.

• do well – tener éxito / sacar buenas notas
Example: Students usually do well when they study regularly.

Say each word out loud.
Think about your own educational experience.

GRAMMAR – PAST PERFECT

We use the past perfect to talk about:

• An action that happened before another action in the past.
• The earlier of two past events.

Structure

• Subject + had + past participle

Examples

• I had finished my homework before dinner.
• She had left before the meeting started.
• They had studied English before moving abroad.

Timeline

Past Perfect → Past Simple

• I had completed my degree before I started my first job.

• She had attended a boarding school before she moved to Madrid.

More Examples

• By the age of 18, he had attended three different schools.
• She had done well in secondary school before entering university.
• They had earned several qualifications before applying for the position.
• I had completed my degree before I moved abroad.
• The student had studied hard, so he did well in the exam.

Negative Form

• Subject + had not (hadn't) + past participle

Examples

• I hadn't attended that school before.
• She hadn't completed her degree when she got the job.
• They hadn't done well in previous exams.

Question Form

• Had + subject + past participle?

Examples

• Had you attended that school before?
• Had she completed her degree by then?
• Had they earned the necessary qualifications?

DIALOGUE – TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL

Anna: Had you already chosen your university before you finished secondary school?

Mark: Yes, I had decided where I wanted to study.

Anna: Had you always done well at school?

Mark: Not really. I improved after I started my final year.

Anna: Did you know anyone from a boarding school?

Mark: Yes, one of my classmates had attended a boarding school before joining our school.

Read again and practise.

SHORT ARTICLE

When Sarah started university, she already had a strong educational background. She had attended a respected secondary school and had earned excellent qualifications. Before applying for university, she had spent a year improving her language skills. By the time she began her degree, she had already decided on her future career. Although she had never studied at a boarding school, she knew several students who had. They told her that they had learned independence and responsibility there. Because Sarah had worked hard throughout her education, she continued to do well at university and later found a successful job.

Read the article twice. Focus on the past perfect forms.

LANGUAGE SUPPORT

Past perfect

• had attended
• had completed
• had earned
• had studied
• had decided

Education expressions

• attend a school
• complete a degree
• earn a qualification
• do well in an exam
• study in primary school
• study in secondary school

Full sentence model

• By the time I started my degree, I had already completed several important qualifications.

PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Answer in full sentences.

• Had you decided what career you wanted before you finished secondary school?
• Had you earned any important qualifications before starting work?
• What had you achieved by the end of your final school year?
• Had you ever considered attending a boarding school?
• What subjects had you enjoyed most in primary school?
• Had you learned English before you started studying it seriously?
• Had you ever changed schools before finishing your education?
• What had you done to do well in exams?
• Had you chosen your university before you completed secondary school?
• What had you achieved before you earned your degree?

HOMEWORK (WRITE & RECORD)

Writing

Write 10 sentences using the past perfect.

• Use had + past participle in every sentence.
• Include at least 6 vocabulary words from the lesson.
• Write about your education and life experiences.