The Forgotten Passport

Past Perfect Grammar Rule

The past perfect tense is used to show that one past action happened before another past action. It is formed using had + past participle (e.g., had forgotten, had booked, had taken).

 

Structure:

  • Positive: Subject + had + past participle
    James had booked his flight months in advance.
  • Negative: Subject + had not (hadn’t) + past participle
    He had not expected to forget his passport.
  • Question: Had + subject + past participle?
    Had James packed everything correctly?

When Do We Use the Past Perfect?

  1. To show the order of past events
    • By the time Mark arrived, James had already left.
      (James left first, then Mark arrived.)
  2. With time expressions like ‘by the time,’ ‘before,’ ‘after,’ ‘already,’ ‘just’
    • By the time he checked his bag, the passport had disappeared.
  3. To express regret or missed opportunities
    • If only he had checked his passport earlier!

James had always been a meticulous planner. He had booked his flight months in advance, packed his suitcase a week before departure, and even created a checklist to ensure nothing was forgotten. However, on the morning of his flight, everything went terribly wrong.

 

When he arrived at the airport, he confidently walked up to the check-in counter. The airline employee smiled and asked for his passport. James reached into his bag, but his fingers found nothing but his travel guide. His heart sank. He frantically searched his backpack, but the passport wasn’t there.

 

Panic surged through him as he tried to remember the last time he had seen it. Then it hit him—he had left it in the drawer at home. He had taken it out the night before to check the visa requirements, but he had forgotten to put it back in his bag.

 

He immediately called his best friend, Mark, who had dropped him off earlier. Luckily, Mark had not gone far. James explained the situation, and within minutes, Mark was speeding back to his apartment.

 

By the time Mark arrived at James’s apartment, he realized another problem: James had locked the door, and the spare key was with James—at the airport. James groaned in frustration. If only he had given Mark a spare key earlier! He had meant to, but he had completely forgotten.

 

Mark had no choice but to drive back to the airport, pick up the key, and then return to the apartment. By the time he retrieved the passport and raced back, James’s flight had already taken off.

 

Disappointed but grateful for Mark’s help, James went to the airline’s ticket counter. Fortunately, since he had booked a flexible ticket, he was able to catch a later flight. As he finally boarded the plane, he made a mental note: next time, he would triple-check his passport before leaving home.

Worksheet: Past Perfect Practice

Complete the sentences using the past perfect form of the verbs in parentheses.

  1. James ______ (plan) his trip carefully before the flight.
  2. He ______ (forget) to pack his passport the night before.
  3. By the time he called Mark, he ______ (realize) his mistake.
  4. Mark ______ (not leave) the area yet, so he was able to return quickly.
  5. When James arrived at the counter, his flight ______ (already/take off).

Rewrite the sentences using the past perfect where appropriate.

  1. Mark arrived at the airport, but James had already checked in.
  2. James checked his visa requirements the night before.
  3. The airline offered him another ticket because he booked a flexible one.
  4. James locked the door, and Mark couldn’t get in.
  5. By the time Mark returned, the flight was gone.

Write your own short paragraph (3-5 sentences) using at least three past perfect sentences.

Comprehension Questions

  1. Why did James feel confident when he arrived at the airport?

  2. What did James realize when he searched his backpack?

  3. Why had James taken his passport out the night before?

  4. How did Mark try to help James?

  5. What problem did Mark face when he reached James’s apartment?

  6. Why couldn’t Mark enter the apartment?

  7. What was the consequence of James forgetting his passport?

  8. How was James able to get another flight?

  9. What lesson did James learn at the end of the story?

  10. Can you think of a time when you forgot something important? How did you solve the problem?

Example paragraph

By the time I arrived at the airport, my flight had already departed, leaving me stranded for hours. I had planned to get there early, but unexpected traffic delays had completely ruined my schedule. When I finally checked my phone, I realized that my friend had sent me a message warning me about the delays, but I hadn’t seen it in time.

Return to Lesson Plan Main Page