Past Perfect Simple/Past Perfect Continuous
By the time the film started, we __________ (already / find) our seats and bought popcorn.
had already found
No sooner __________ (she / finish) her painting than the critics praised it.
had she finished
Había trabajado en la réplica toda la mañana antes de entregarla.
He had worked on the replica all morning before delivering it.
She was imagining being on the beach instead of listening to the teacher.
→ She was __________ during class.
After the meeting, a clear idea started to appear.
→ A clear idea __________ after the meeting.
Emerged
They __________ (talk) for nearly two hours before they finally reached a decision.
had been talking
Hardly __________ (the teacher / explain) the vocabulary when the students understood it.
had the teacher explained
Habíamos estado comparando las dos pinturas para ver su similitud antes de decidir cuál comprar.
We had been comparing the two paintings to see their similarity before deciding which one to buy.
I was halfway through my homework when I couldn’t continue.
→ I got __________ on my homework.
Stuck
The students made up some new activities for English class.
→ The students __________ new ideas for English class.
Dreamed up
When the idea finally emerged, they __________ (discuss) different possibilities for over an hour.
had been discussing
Barely __________ (he / design) a genuine replica when the museum displayed it.
had he designed
Cuando llamé al coleccionista, él ya había visto la moneda genuina.
When I called the collector, he had already seen the genuine coin.
Listening to music often helps you become more creative.
→ Listening to music can **__________ creativity.
Boost
Before choosing a plan, we should consider all the possible options.
→ We should __________ all possibilities before choosing.
Explore
She was exhausted because she __________ (work) on the project all day without a break.
had been working
Hardly __________ (the children / finish) pretending to be superheroes when their friends arrived. → had the children finished
had the children finished
Habían estado observando cómo la réplica se parecía a la original durante toda la exhibición.
They had been observing how the replica resembled the original throughout the exhibition.
She didn’t stop working on her idea until it was finished.
→ She __________ it __________ to the end.
followed it through
It was hard to practice every day, but he continued and finally succeeded.
→ It was hard, but he __________ with it and succeeded.
Stuck
He looked disappointed; he __________ (really / think) his invention would capture people’s imagination, but nobody seemed interested.
had really thought
Make your own negative inversion sentence with "no sooner"
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Apenas había terminado de inspeccionar la moneda cuando se dio cuenta de que era falsificada. (with negative inversion)
He had barely finished inspecting the coin when he realized it was counterfeit.
Wait—don’t interrupt me! I’ve lost what I was talking about.
→ I lost my **______ __ _______
train of thought
Suddenly, she had a brilliant idea while cooking.
→ She had a ____ __ ________ while cooking.
flash of inspiration