Learning English at A2 Level – Eighth Grade

In this article, you will practise the Simple Past and the Past Perfect in English.

You will learn how to use before and after to express the order in which two events happened in the past.

You will also revise English relative clauses with who, which, that, whose, where and when.

You will practise questions, positive and negative statements, as well as short and complete yes-and-no answers.

Afterwards, you will read a connected story containing 100 sentences that you can translate into your native language.

At the end, you will find additional grammar exercises, reading comprehension questions and a writing task.

This article is particularly suitable for eighth-grade students at A2 language level.

How to Learn with My Bilingual App

When reading this article for the first time, it is best to open it in your native language and in English side by side in my free app.

You can find the app here:

App

First, select your native language and then choose English as your second language.

Then open Language Courses → Learn English → Free.

Look for the article about the Simple Past, Past Perfect and relative clauses with 100 sentences.

When you open both language versions side by side, you can compare the sentences in your native language directly with the English sentences.

First, read a sentence in your native language and try to understand how it is structured in English.

Pay particular attention to the tenses, word order and relative pronouns.

Then read the English sentences aloud.

How to Use the 100 Sentences as a Translation Exercise:

Next time, open the article only in your native language.

Now try to translate the sentences into English yourself without looking at the English version.

When you have finished, open the English version again and compare your translations with the English sentences.

You can also work on just one section of 20 sentences at a time and then check your results.

This way, you can practise grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, reading comprehension and translation at the same time.

---

1. What Is the Simple Past?

The Simple Past is a tense used to describe past events.

You use it to talk about actions or events that were completed in the past.

Common time expressions include yesterday, last week, two days ago and in 2020.

Examples in English

I visited my grandmother yesterday.

She opened the door.

We went to the park on Saturday.

Tom found an old key.

Emma arrived late at school yesterday.

All these sentences describe completed actions in the past.

How to Form the Simple Past

With regular English verbs, you add -ed to the base form.

With irregular verbs, you need to learn the second verb form.

For example, the Simple Past forms of go, see and find are went, saw and found.

Negation in the Simple Past

To form negative sentences with most verbs, use did not or the short form didn’t.

The main verb then returns to its base form.

Examples in English

I didn’t see the message.

She didn’t open the box.

We didn’t find the key.

Ben didn’t understand the question.

Questions in the Simple Past

You usually form questions with did, the subject and the base form of the main verb.

In yes-or-no questions, did normally comes at the beginning.

In information questions, the question word usually comes first.

Examples in English

Did you find the key?

Yes, I found it.

No, I didn’t find it.

Did she call you yesterday?

Yes, she did.

No, she didn’t.

Where did you find the key?

When did you visit your friend?

In questions with the verb to be, you use was or were instead of did.

---

2. What Is the Past Perfect?

The Past Perfect describes an action that happened before another event in the past.

You use it when an action had already happened before another past action took place.

It is particularly useful for explaining the order of past events.

Examples in English

I had finished my homework before my friend arrived.

She had already left when I called her.

We had already seen the film before our friends recommended it to us.

Ben had taken the photograph before he told Emma about it.

Each of these examples contains two events in the past.

The Past Perfect describes the action that had already been completed.

How to Form the Past Perfect

You form the Past Perfect with had + past participle.

The past participle is the third verb form.

With regular verbs, it normally ends in -ed.

With irregular verbs, you need to learn the third verb form.

The auxiliary verb had is the same for all subjects.

Negation in the Past Perfect

To form negative sentences, use had not or the short form hadn’t.

This is followed by the past participle.

Examples in English

I hadn’t seen the film before.

She hadn’t finished her homework yet.

We hadn’t opened the door.

Ben hadn’t read the letter yet.

Questions in the Past Perfect

You form questions with had, the subject and the past participle.

Examples in English

Had you seen the film before?

Yes, I had.

No, I hadn’t.

Had she already finished her homework?

Yes, she had.

No, she hadn’t.

Why hadn’t you read the letter?

Where had Emma found the key?

---

3. Simple Past or Past Perfect?

When you describe two events in the past, you need to think about which event happened first.

You can use the Past Perfect for the earlier event.

For the later event, you often use the Simple Past.

Example 1

When I arrived at the station, the train left.

Here, the train left at the time of my arrival.

Example 2

When I arrived at the station, the train had already left.

Here, the train had already gone before I arrived at the station.

The difference is important because it changes the meaning of the sentence.

More Examples

When Emma arrived at school, Ben had already waited for her.

Before the lesson started, they had made a plan.

After the teacher had opened the door, the students entered the room.

When they found the box, someone had already hidden it behind a cupboard.

Remember

Simple Past: What happened in the past?

Past Perfect: What had already happened before that point in the past?

However, you do not automatically have to use the Past Perfect whenever two past events occur.

If the order of events is already clear from the context, you can sometimes use the Simple Past for both actions.

---

4. How to Use Before and After Correctly

The words before and after help you express the order of events.

Before indicates that something happened earlier than another event.

After indicates that something happened later than another event.

Examples with Before

Before Emma went to school, she had eaten breakfast.

Ben had taken the photograph before he met Emma.

The students had finished their homework before the lesson started.

Examples with After

After Emma had eaten breakfast, she went to school.

After Ben had taken the photograph, he met Emma.

After the students had finished their homework, the lesson started.

What Is the Difference?

Compare the following two sentences.

Before Emma left the house, she had packed her bag.

After Emma had packed her bag, she left the house.

Both sentences describe the same order of events.

First, Emma packed her bag.

Then she left the house.

Do You Always Need the Past Perfect with Before or After?

No.

These two words already make the order of events clear.

Therefore, in certain contexts, both actions can also be expressed in the Simple Past.

The Past Perfect is particularly useful when you want to emphasise that one action had already been completed before another.

In the following exercises, we will mainly focus on combining the Simple Past and the Past Perfect.

---

5. Revising English Relative Clauses

Relative clauses provide additional information about people, things, places or times.

In English, you can use the relative pronouns who, which, that and whose, as well as the relative adverbs where and when.

Who – People

Who refers to people.

The girl who had found the key was very happy.

The teacher who opened the door knew the secret.

The students who discovered the diary were surprised.

Which – Things and Animals

Which refers to things and animals.

The box which Tom had opened was empty.

The book which Emma had found was very old.

The photograph which Ben had taken showed a mysterious light.

That – People and Things

That can often replace who or which in defining relative clauses.

The book that I had borrowed was very interesting.

The boy that had found the key went home.

The house that they visited was more than a hundred years old.

Remember: You cannot use that in non-defining relative clauses, which are separated by commas.

Whose – Possession

Whose expresses possession or a relationship between people or things.

The boy whose bicycle had disappeared was worried.

The teacher whose grandfather had once been the headteacher had an old key.

The girl whose mother worked at the school knew the history of the building.

Where – Places

Where refers to a place.

We visited the house where my grandfather had lived.

Emma showed Ben the room where she had found the box.

The students went to the playground where a large tree had once stood.

When – Times

When refers to a time.

I remembered the day when we had first met.

Ben thought back to the evening when he had seen the light.

Emma remembered the moment when they had discovered the secret.

An Important Difference Between Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses

In some languages, relative clauses are usually separated by commas.

In English, you distinguish between essential information and additional information.

Defining relative clauses normally do not have commas.

Non-defining relative clauses provide additional information and are separated by commas.

In English, you can also leave out certain relative pronouns when they function as the object of the relative clause.

More Exercises on Relative Clauses

If you would like to learn more about relative pronouns and relative adverbs, you can find a separate free article on this topic.

Open my app here:

App

Go to Language Courses → Learn English → Free.

Look for the article:

“Relative Pronouns and Relative Adverbs in English – Who, Which, That, Whose, Where and When”.

There you will find additional examples, explanations and exercises.

---

6. A Mysterious Discovery – 100 Sentences for Translation Practice

The Secret of the Old School

In this story, we follow Emma and Ben, who discover a mysterious light at their school.

During their investigation, they come across a locked library, an old letter and a missing diary.

The story contains the Simple Past, the Past Perfect, relative clauses, questions, positive and negative answers.

Your task: Translate the English sentences into your native language.

If necessary, open the version in your native language alongside the English text to compare the sentence structures.

If you have already read the story once, try translating it without looking at the other language version.

Part 1 – An Unusual Morning

01. Emma arrived at school earlier than usual.

02. She had left the house before her brother woke up.

03. The school, which stood near an old park, looked unusually deserted.

04. Emma saw Ben, who was waiting outside the main entrance.

05. Ben asked her if she had received his message yesterday.

06. Emma answered that she hadn’t received the message.

07. She had already gone to bed before Ben sent the message.

08. Ben asked if she had heard the strange noise the previous night.

09. Emma said yes, but she didn’t know where the noise had come from.

10. Ben showed her a photograph that he had taken the evening before.

11. The photograph showed a small light in an upstairs window.

12. Emma asked if Ben had ever seen that light before.

13. Ben answered no.

14. They looked at the building where their history teacher had worked for twenty years.

15. Before the first lesson started, they decided to investigate.

16. Emma remembered a story that her grandmother had told her.

17. She asked Ben if there hadn’t once been an old library in the building.

18. Ben confirmed that there had been a library there, but the school had closed it years ago.

19. The school bell rang after they had made their plan.

20. Neither of them told their classmates what they had discovered.

Part 2 – The Locked Library

21. During the break, Emma and Ben went upstairs.

22. They found a corridor that they had never noticed before.

23. Emma asked Ben if they had ever been there before.

24. Ben said no, but explained that his sister had told him about this place.

25. His sister, who had attended the same school, knew many old stories.

26. The corridor ended at a wooden door.

27. Someone had written a year above the door before the school was renovated.

28. Emma asked Ben if he had brought the photograph.

29. Ben answered yes.

30. After they had compared the photograph with the door, they noticed a small symbol.

31. It was the same symbol that appeared in the old photograph.

32. Emma touched the door handle, but the door wouldn’t open.

33. Ben wondered if someone had locked the door recently.

34. Emma answered that she didn’t know.

35. Before they could examine the lock more closely, they heard footsteps.

36. Their history teacher, Mr Brown, appeared behind them.

37. He asked them what they were doing there.

38. Emma explained that they were looking for the old library.

39. Mr Brown, whose grandfather had once been the headteacher, looked surprised.

40. He said that he had thought nobody would remember this room anymore.

Part 3 – The Missing Diary

41. Mr Brown took an old key out of his pocket.

42. He had kept it for years because his grandfather had given it to him.

43. Ben asked if his grandfather had worked at this school.

44. Mr Brown confirmed this and explained that his grandfather had loved the school very much.

45. After he had unlocked the door, they entered a dusty room.

46. The shelves, which were covered with dust, were full of old books.

47. Emma found a wooden box that someone had hidden behind a cupboard.

48. She asked Mr Brown if he had ever seen this box before.

49. Mr Brown answered no.

50. Before Emma opened the box, she examined the strange symbol on its lid.

51. Inside, they discovered a letter and an empty space where a book had once been.

52. The letter belonged to a girl whose name was Clara.

53. Clara had written the letter before she left the school in 1985.

54. Ben asked if she had explained what had happened.

55. Emma said yes, but explained that Clara hadn’t mentioned where the missing book was.

56. The letter described a diary that contained an important secret.

57. Mr Brown remembered a student who had disappeared from the school records many years earlier.

58. Emma asked if that student had been Clara.

59. Mr Brown answered no.

60. After they had read the letter twice, they decided to search for the diary.

Part 4 – A Surprising Clue

61. Emma noticed a map that was hanging behind the door.

62. Someone had marked a place where an old tree had once stood.

63. She asked Ben if he had seen this mark before.

64. Ben answered no.

65. Mr Brown explained that the school had built a new playground after the tree had fallen.

66. Before they left the library, Emma photographed the map.

67. They went outside after their last lesson had finished.

68. Ben remembered the day when his sister had shown him an old school photograph.

69. Emma asked if his sister had told him anything about the tree.

70. Ben said yes, but explained that he hadn’t understood why the tree was important at the time.

71. They reached the playground where the tree had once stood.

72. Emma found a loose stone that someone had placed near the wall.

73. Ben asked if Emma had moved the stone.

74. Emma answered no.

75. After Ben had lifted the stone, they discovered a small metal box.

76. Inside the box was a notebook whose cover was completely blue.

77. The notebook contained the diary that Clara had described.

78. Ben asked if anyone had opened the diary before them.

79. Emma answered that she didn’t think so.

80. They took the diary to Mr Brown before they went home.

Part 5 – The Mystery Is Solved

81. Mr Brown smiled when he saw the diary.

82. He had searched for it since he became a teacher at the school.

83. Emma asked if his grandfather had known about this diary.

84. Mr Brown said yes, but explained that his grandfather had never told him where it was hidden.

85. The diary belonged to a student who had helped Clara many years earlier.

86. Clara had wanted to protect a collection of letters before the old library was closed.

87. After Mr Brown had read the first pages, he understood the mystery.

88. The letters described the history of the school and the people who had built it.

89. Ben asked if there had really been a secret treasure.

90. Mr Brown answered no.

91. He explained that these letters were more valuable to the school than money.

92. Emma remembered the light that Ben had photographed.

93. She asked if someone had entered the library the previous night.

94. Mr Brown admitted that he had been there himself.

95. He explained that he had visited the room after he had found another old letter.

96. Before he had left the library, he had forgotten to switch off the light.

97. Ben laughed because he had expected a much more frightening explanation.

98. The following week, the school organised an exhibition where the old letters were displayed.

99. Emma and Ben, who had solved the mystery together, proudly told their classmates the story.

100. After they had finished their presentation, Mr Brown thanked them for discovering an important part of the school’s history.

---

7. Exercises on the Simple Past, Past Perfect and Relative Clauses

Now you can check how well you have understood the grammar.

Try to complete the following tasks without help.

The exercises are written in English so that you can practise forming the correct grammatical structures yourself.

Afterwards, you can compare your results with the model answers.

Exercise A – Simple Past or Past Perfect?

Complete the following sentences using the correct past tense of the verbs in brackets.

Think about which action happened first and which tense you need.

A1. Emma __________ (leave) the house before her brother __________ (wake up).

A2. Ben __________ (take) a photograph before he __________ (show) it to Emma.

A3. After Mr Brown __________ (unlock) the door, they __________ (enter) the library.

A4. Emma __________ (find) a box that someone __________ (hide) behind a cupboard.

A5. Clara __________ (write) the letter before she __________ (leave) the school.

A6. They __________ (go) outside after their last lesson __________ (finish).

A7. Ben __________ (remember) the photograph that his sister __________ (show) him.

A8. After they __________ (discover) the diary, they __________ (take) it to Mr Brown.

A9. Mr Brown __________ (forget) to switch off the light before he __________ (leave) the room.

A10. The students __________ (organise) an exhibition after they __________ (solve) the mystery.

Exercise B – Before or After?

Complete the following sentences with the correct linking word.

Use either before or after.

B1. Emma had eaten breakfast __________ she left the house.

B2. __________ Mr Brown had opened the door, the students entered the library.

B3. Clara had hidden the diary __________ she left the school.

B4. __________ Ben had lifted the stone, they found the metal box.

B5. They returned to Mr Brown __________ they had discovered the diary.

B6. Mr Brown had forgotten to switch off the light __________ he left the room.

B7. __________ Emma had photographed the map, they left the library.

B8. Ben had never seen the corridor __________ he visited it with Emma.

Exercise C – Relative Clauses with Who, Which, That, Whose, Where and When

Combine each pair of English sentences into one sentence using a suitable relative clause.

Decide whether you need a relative pronoun or a relative adverb.

Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

C1. Emma met Ben. Ben was waiting outside the school.

C2. They found a photograph. Ben had taken the photograph.

C3. Mr Brown opened the library. His grandfather had once been the headteacher.

C4. They entered a room. The room was full of old books.

C5. Clara wrote a letter. The letter explained part of the mystery.

C6. They visited the playground. An old tree had once stood there.

C7. Emma remembered a day. Her grandmother had told her the story on that day.

C8. They discovered a diary. Its cover was blue.

Exercise D – Questions in the Simple Past

Turn the following statements into questions.

Use the Simple Past.

D1. Emma arrived early.

D2. Ben took a photograph.

D3. They found an old box.

D4. Mr Brown opened the library.

D5. Clara wrote a letter.

D6. The students discovered the diary.

D7. The students found the box behind a cupboard. (Ask about the place.)

D8. Ben laughed because he had expected a frightening explanation. (Ask about the reason.)

Exercise E – Questions in the Past Perfect

Turn the following statements into questions.

Use the Past Perfect.

E1. Emma had seen the photograph before.

E2. Ben had visited the library before.

E3. Mr Brown had kept the key.

E4. Clara had hidden the diary.

E5. The students had read the letter.

E6. Someone had switched off the light.

E7. Clara had written the letter because she wanted to protect the secret. (Ask about the reason.)

E8. Someone had hidden the diary near the playground. (Ask about the place.)

Exercise F – Short Yes-and-No Answers

Answer the English questions using short answers.

Use the correct tense and auxiliary verb.

F1. Did Emma arrive early? (Yes)

F2. Did Ben know where the light came from? (No)

F3. Had Emma seen the corridor before? (No)

F4. Did Mr Brown have a key? (Yes)

F5. Had Mr Brown seen the wooden box before? (No)

F6. Did Clara write a letter? (Yes)

F7. Had Ben’s sister told him about the tree? (Yes)

F8. Did they find money in the metal box? (No)

F9. Had Mr Brown visited the library the previous night? (Yes)

F10. Did the school organise an exhibition? (Yes)

Exercise G – Negation in the Simple Past and Past Perfect

Change the following positive statements into negative sentences.

Pay particular attention to the correct formation of negative sentences.

G1. Emma saw the message.

G2. Ben understood the mystery.

G3. They opened the door.

G4. Clara had forgotten the diary.

G5. Mr Brown had found the diary before.

G6. The students visited the library every day.

G7. Emma had told everyone about the photograph.

G8. Ben believed the story.

Exercise H – Reading Comprehension Questions

Answer the following questions in complete English sentences.

Try to formulate the answers yourself.

H1. When did Emma leave the house?

H2. What had Ben photographed the evening before?

H3. Where did Emma and Ben find the locked door?

H4. Who opened the old library?

H5. What did Emma discover behind the cupboard?

H6. Who had written the letter?

H7. Where did the students find the metal box?

H8. What was inside the metal box?

H9. Why had Mr Brown visited the library at night?

H10. What did the school organise after the mystery had been solved?

Exercise I – Mixed Grammar Practice

Now combine all the grammar topics you have learned so far.

Pay attention to the Simple Past, Past Perfect, before, after and the correct relative pronouns.

I1. Emma __________ (arrive) at school after her brother __________ (wake up).

I2. Ben showed her the photograph __________ he had taken the evening before.

I3. __________ you ever __________ (see) the light before?

I4. No, I __________ never __________ (see) it before.

I5. The teacher __________ grandfather had been the headteacher opened the door.

I6. __________ they opened the box, they examined the symbol.

I7. The girl __________ had written the letter was called Clara.

I8. __________ they had found the diary, they went to the teacher.

I9. Why __________ you not __________ (switch off) the light?

I10. The students visited the place __________ a large tree had once stood.

Exercise J – Write Your Own Story

Write a short story in English of approximately 100 to 150 words.

Your story should be about a surprising discovery.

Perhaps someone finds a mysterious letter, an old box or a key to an abandoned house.

Use at least five verbs in the Simple Past and five verbs in the Past Perfect.

Also use before at least twice, after at least twice and three different relative pronouns or relative adverbs.

Include at least two questions, one positive answer and one negative answer.

You can begin your story with the following sentence:

“Last Saturday, I discovered something strange that someone had hidden in our garden many years before.”

Then think about what your main character had found, who had hidden the object and what mystery was solved as a result.

---

8. Model Answers to All Exercises

There is a separate article containing the model answers for these exercises.

There you will find the answers to Exercises A to I, as well as a possible example story for Exercise J.

You can use them to check your answers and revise your grammar knowledge.

The model answers are free for my students.

If you take English lessons with me, you will receive the password for the answer article at no additional cost.

For everyone else, the model answers cost €0.50.

You can purchase access through my shop.

https://polyglotmona.com/en/shop-en

When purchasing, please indicate that you need the model answers for the article “Simple Past and Past Perfect with Before, After and Relative Clauses”.

You will then receive the password for the protected article.

In my app, you can find the model answers under Language Courses → Learn English → With Password.

---

9. My Final Learning Tip

Don’t try to memorise all the grammar rules at once.

Start by understanding the order in which the events happened.

For each sentence, ask yourself which action happened first.

Then decide whether you need the Simple Past or the Past Perfect.

Next, pay attention to the use of before and after.

Revise relative clauses by adding extra information about people, objects and places.

Use the bilingual app in two steps.

When reading the article for the first time, open the English version and the version in your native language side by side so that you can compare the grammar and word order directly.

The second time, open only the article in your native language and translate the sentences into English independently.

Then check your results using the English version.

Once you have understood the 100 sentences well, try retelling the story in your own English words.

This way, you can practise your reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and ability to form English sentences independently.

Have fun learning English!