How to Teach the Past Perfect

Table of contents, introduction, how to teach the past perfect, start with contextualized examples, noticing, discussing, and personalizing, the use of the past perfect.

This will help learners notice not only the use but also the form of the tense.

The Form of the Past Perfect

Had + past participle

Practicing the Past Perfect

Matching exercise.

1. I was very tired
2. I didn’t want to go to the movies with my friends
3. They offered me muffins,
4. As soon as she had done her homework,
5. I was interested in the discussion about the story
a. because I had seen the film already.
b. as I hadn’t slept well for several days.
c. but I wasn’t hungry because I had just eaten lunch.
d. because I had read the novel before.
e. she went to bed.

 Sentence completion

Join sentences.

Ask students to join two sentences like the following:

I went to bed. Before that I watched a documentary on TV.
Before I went to bed I had watched a documentary on TV. Or After I had watched a documentary on TV I went to bed. Or When I had watched a documentary on TV I went to bed.

Additional Use of the Past Perfect: The third conditional

What would have happened if things had been different?
Today I was late because I had missed the bus. I wouldn’t have missed the bus if I had woken up early
I didn’t pass the exam. I wish I had worked harder.

What’s the difference?

A. When I arrived, they had had dinner. B. When I arrived, they were having dinner. C. When I arrived, they had dinner.

Personalization

What had happened when you arrived home yesterday? What had you done before you came to school? Where had you studied before you joined this school?

Sentence examples for i couldn't believe my eyes from inspiring English sources

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" I couldn't believe my eyes ," Durand said.

" I couldn't believe my eyes ," she said.

"In fact, I couldn't believe my eyes .

" I couldn't believe my eyes ," Ms. Matshega said.

Dr. Ruth: I walked in, I couldn't believe my eyes .

" I couldn't believe my eyes ," he went on.

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Looking at himself in the mirror he couldn't believe how much he had been transformed: grey lifeless eyes soaked colour and en

Authors Avatar

Another Thing on His Mind.

Looking at himself in the mirror he couldn’t believe how much he had been transformed: grey lifeless eyes soaked colour and energy from the outside world; his voice had become thin and reedy!  His contours, once soft were now chiselled and his sculptured bones looked brittle and feeble.  He stood there glaring openly, eager to quickly turn away but finding it too painful.  Trembling along the crippled fingers, hands and spine, he could not stand the sore sight that faced him and only to find his legs collapsing suddenly beneath him, he fell.  The feeling of endlessly falling down a deep, dark hole engulfed him.  Flat on the ground without a twitch, joints at angles people thought were not possible.  The deserted bathroom failed to conjure up an assistant to help and so Jon’s body continued to lie in the same situation; tranquil and unaware of the surroundings and danger yet to fool him.

The clock struck twelve, only to stir the unconsciousness of the body lying on the tiled bathroom floor of number 32, Orderley Way.  Slowly widening his eyes, Jon began to realise what had just occurred.  Once again an attack had kicked in, an attack that hadn’t happened just the once.  Everyday since the event, Jon had been living in fear of these attacks that shocked him more and more every time.  During the period of being in the “special place” there was always someone closely watching and monitoring his every move.  However, now that Jon was expected to become more independent on himself, his home doesn’t feel the same luxurious location to him and living a life seem harder than it should be.  No-one to help him, no-one to hear his cries and no-one to care and hold him when he’s down and lonely.  Or was there?  

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This is a preview of the whole essay

Carefully clenching onto the towel rail, Jon heaved his hefty self to his weak feet and headed straight for the door.  This seemed more demanding than it had always been before; placing one lean foot in front of the other could not carry his scrawny body !  His stone boulder head was rocking from side to side, willowy twig-like legs were no longer stable  and safe to walk on, and his feet had no sense of direction.  Stumbling and tripping, Jon determinedly forced himself to the door and it was necessary for him to continue down the stairs and towards the phone.  He had to phone someone, he needed help; serious help.  The first person that Jon would have always contacted in an emergency was his precious sister.  His older sister Dianne was so close and dear to him, and had been so supportive after the event.  However, as much as he wanted to remember who to call, he couldn’t.   His inferior mind  remained clueless and blank.  Trying his hardest to concentrate he stared continuously out through the broken window overlooking his fresh green field …broken window?  He thought again once more, a broken window, how long had that been there for?  A sudden strike of aching pain unexpectedly stabbed his heart, gradually spreading to beneath his ribs and beyond.  First reaction was to make a phone call, as he was about to do not long before.  He proceeded to pick up the dusty phone beside him.  Who? What number? Jon’s mind had nothing inside, nothing to jog his memory of who to contact.  Why did he want to contact someone so urgently?  He was determined to figure it out.  Gazing out of the window once more, he noticed the fresh green fields were gradually being covered in a blanket of snow.  White and soft snowflakes swayed in the wind and blew onto the house; the breeze let a few in through the broken window.  Snow in winter he was thinking.  For some peculiar reason he did not seem to believe that this was correct.  He sat for a moment, on the wooden chair with a flowery cushion his mother had once sewn for him as a child, with the phone still in his crooked left hand.  He entwined the wire in his fingers and realised it was his sister he had been desperately meaning to contact…but why couldn’t he possibly figure this out before?  Dianne had always been the first person for him to contact, until now. For some reason he could not get it into his warped head who he was meaning to call.

All of a sudden, there was a disturbing noise which startled Jon in his sacred moment of contemplation.  It sounded strangely to him as a rare, unusual doorbell. He swivelled round in his stiff chair and bravely faced the front door further along the strict hallway.  His droopy, tired eyes on the base of his dropped, slanted head glared at the brass door handle, as if it was expected that a strange person was to daringly wander through.  However, he noticed how no sudden movement was coming from the king-sized imposing door, neither was the noise…he began to relax his head further down onto his shoulders, only to find that the alarming noise was no doorbell from the front of his empty house, but was a ringing noise coming from his crooked left hand.  He answered the phone slowly and suspiciously, and picked it up to his ear.  Listening closely to what was being said, he realised it was someone important attempting to contact him.  He listened to them irritatingly talking about his health, the words ‘mad’, ‘insane’, ‘be careful’, and ‘watch yourself’ overwhelmed his mind.  The husky voice from the phone did not sound familiar; it seemed rough and daunting, and slightly echoed in the background, yet the man on the other end seemed to know who Jon was, and all his personal details.  

Letting the phone slowly drift back and click onto its hook, he pondered with shocked, confused and frustrated thoughts.  Questioning himself, he came to the realization that for someone who was so bizarre, to distinguish more about his unusual life than he did, was extraordinarily worrying.  

Gently floating towards the winding wooden staircase, Jon immediately headed upstairs and straight for the bedroom.  “Rest, yes maybe I just need a quick rest to clear my mind” he contemplated; at which point his frail, quivering limbs gave way.

Looking at himself in the mirror he couldn't believe how much he had been transformed: grey lifeless eyes soaked colour and en

Document Details

  • Word Count 1062
  • Page Count 2
  • Subject English

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can't believe one's eyes or couldn't believe one's eyes

I **can't believe my eyes when I see that my parents have bought me a new car! I *couldn't believe my eyes when I see that my parents have bought me a new car!

Which is better, can't or couldn't? I prefer ''couldn't' as it is impossible for not believing one's own eyes?

  • word-choice

Aung Thu's user avatar

"Can't" is often used to express impossibility. (In fact there are many cases where "couldn't" expresses a more tentative or conditional inability.)

"Can't believe my eyes" is the correct idiom (unless you are describing a past event).

"(You've bought me a new car!) I can't believe my eyes!"

I assume your sentence in the historic present , which is relatively rare in English:

I can't believe my eyes when I see that my parents have bought me a new car.

(If you are describing the event to a friend shortly afterwards, while still able to see the car, and you still can't believe your eyes now, you could say "(I've just seen that) my parents have bought me a new car! I can't believe my eyes!".

In the past tense it becomes:

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that my parents had bought me a new car.

"Couldn't believe my eyes" usually refers to the past. It could also refer to a potential future ("If that happened, I couldn't believe my eyes"), although in that case I'd prefer the periphrastic "I wouldn't be able to believe my eyes".

rjpond's user avatar

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essay i couldn't believe my eyes

Life Isn't Always Empty

My Little Perspective

Thursday 23 May 2013

Essay - i couldn't believe my eyes......, 3 comments:.

Awesome read!

essay i couldn't believe my eyes

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  • French-English Vocabulary / Vocabulaire Français-Anglais

I couldn't believe my eyes !

  • Thread starter petitefille
  • Start date Mar 25, 2007

petitefille

  • Mar 25, 2007

does anyone know how to translate 'i couldn't believe my eyes' in french? is it: je n’ai pas peux croire mes yeux ?  

Kaspia

Senior Member

Je n'en croyais pas mes yeux !  

DearPrudence

DearPrudence

Dépêche mod (al mod).

I think that I would use the set phrase: "Je n'en croyais pas mes yeux !"  

Crescent

  • Mar 27, 2007

IMAGES

  1. I Couldn't Believe My Eyes!

    essay i couldn't believe my eyes

  2. Marty Feldman Quote: “I can’t believe my eyes.”

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  3. Marty Feldman Quote: “I can’t believe my eyes.”

    essay i couldn't believe my eyes

  4. Marty Feldman Quote: “I can’t believe my eyes.”

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  5. I couldn't believe my eyes

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  6. Pin by Issa💕 on Quotes

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COMMENTS

  1. Free Essay: I Couldn't Believe My Eyes

    And then, I felt something on my leg. As I looked down I saw the filthy puppet holding my leg. Then with a loud shriek I woke up from my evening nap! Oh god Nathan's puppet really affected my brain! I sat upright and saw something moving on the couch in front of my bed. As I looked closer, I wished that it was a bad dream too, as I saw the ...

  2. PDF I couldn't believe my eyes Short story

    ith two children riding on each of them.'Then there were four tall gir. ffes, and they each had. ne woman rider.'Then came the clowns. Two in a fu. ny car and three were running behind it.'Last. of all, there were two big, clear balls. Each with. a clown inside and one balancing on top.'So, Karim, how many people were there on Hassan ...

  3. I couldn't believe my eyes

    I couldn't believe my eyes. In this activity the teacher creates situations for the students to get plenty of practice with the form and meaning of the past perfect. Stuart Wiffin and Helen Gibbons. Introduction. To get the activity off to a good start it's good to use your best acting skills. Begin the class looking a little upset or ...

  4. Write an essay about When I looked in the mirror I couldn't believe my eyes

    When I looked in the mirror, I couldn't believe my eyes. The reflection staring back at me seemed unfamiliar, almost foreign. It was as if I was looking at a stranger, someone I didn't recognize. I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my own reflection, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. I traced the lines on my face, the curves ...

  5. I couldn't believe my eyes

    I couldn't believe my eyes I couldn't believe my eyes. There were lots of people on Hassan Street this morning. How many people were going to school? Watch and find out! Help. Do the preparation task first. Then watch the story and do the activities. Story developed by Cambridge English Online.

  6. PDF I couldn't believe my eyes Story

    Tell me.". "I was halfway along the street when I saw a huge parade coming towards me. The Russian circus was coming to town.". "First there were three white elephants, with two children riding on each of them. Then there were four tall giraffes, and they each had one woman rider. Then came the clowns. Two in a funny car and three were ...

  7. How to Teach the Past Perfect

    I Couldn't Believe My Eyes. Yesterday when I arrived home, I couldn't believe my eyes: Someone had broken into my house. They had broken the door and the window. They had stolen all my money. They had broken my TV and my computer. They had emptied my drawers. They had even eaten the food in the fridge.

  8. i couldn't believe my eyes

    2. The New York Times - Sports. "At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. 3. The New York Times. "I couldn't believe my eyes," she said. 4. The New York Times. "In fact, I couldn't believe my eyes.

  9. Answers to: Write an essay about When I opened the door, i couldnt

    Essays. When I opened the door, I couldn't believe my eyes. The sight in front of me was so captivating and out of this world that I stood there frozen, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. The scene before me was nothing short of magical. The room was adorned with twinkling fairy lights, casting a warm and inviting glow.

  10. Looking at himself in the mirror he couldn't believe how much he had

    See our example GCSE Essay on Looking at himself in the mirror he couldn't believe how much he had been transformed: grey lifeless eyes soaked colour and en now. TOP CATEGORIES; ... Slowly widening his eyes, Jon began to realise what had just occurred. Once again an attack had kicked in, an attack that hadn't happened just the once. Everyday ...

  11. Couldn't believe my eyes

    Definition of couldn't believe my eyes in the Idioms Dictionary. couldn't believe my eyes phrase. What does couldn't believe my eyes expression mean? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary.

  12. Short Stories I Couldnt Believe My Eyes Transcript v2

    Short Stories i Couldnt Believe My Eyes Transcript v2 - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The narrator saw an unexpected parade on their way to school one morning. The Russian circus was coming to town with three white elephants carrying two children each, four giraffes carrying one woman rider each, clowns in a funny car and running behind it, and two ...

  13. I couldn't believe my eyes

    I couldn't believe my eyes. The burglars: had broken down the door; had left my papers and photos all over the floor ; had locked my dog in the cellar/shed had taken my... ( a special item) had smashed a window ; had stolen my laptop; had eaten the cake I'd bought for my (friend/daughter/wife)'s birthday ; had urinated all over the floor

  14. can't believe one's eyes or couldn't believe one's eyes

    I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that my parents had bought me a new car. "Couldn't believe my eyes" usually refers to the past. It could also refer to a potential future ("If that happened, I couldn't believe my eyes"), although in that case I'd prefer the periphrastic "I wouldn't be able to believe my eyes".

  15. Julius LaRosa

    "I Couldn't Believe My Eyes" by Julius LaRosa, from a 45 RPM recording issued in 1954.

  16. I couldn't believe my eyes

    Definition of I couldn't believe my eyes in the Idioms Dictionary. I couldn't believe my eyes phrase. What does I couldn't believe my eyes expression mean?

  17. Life Isn't Always Empty: Essay

    I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the necklace. The beautiful silver necklace that I found when I was clearing the attic brought back a lot of memories. The memories of my first love and maybe my last. I took the necklace from its box and shoved it to my heart. Tears started to form on my eyes as my mind drifted back to the memory that I ...

  18. I Couldn't Believe My Eyes

    A story about a personal phlebotomy experience. Shanise Keith describes a time when she had her blood drawn, and the unfortunate experience it turned out to be. by Shanise Keith • January 31, 2022. Technical, Professionalism, Safety. A few weeks ago, I was at a routine doctor's appointment, and I had to get some labs done.

  19. I couldn't believe my eyes

    Senior Member. England. Russian, (Ukraine) Mar 25, 2007. #4. Hi there! I believe you say it like this: Je ne pouvais pas croire/je n'arrivais pas à croire ce que mes yeux voyaient/me montraient. Hope it helps! P.