Unit 10: Entertainment
Grammar Focus: The Past Perfect
We use the past perfect to talk about an action that was completed before another time or action in the past. It describes an action “two steps back” in time.
Form: had + past participle (e.g., had gone, had seen, had watched)
Example: By the time we found our seats, the show had started. (The show started first; we found seats second.)
We often use time expressions like before, after, by the time, as soon as, and until with the past perfect.
Image: A timeline illustrating the Past Perfect tense. Show ‘Past’ on a line, with ‘Event A (Past Perfect)’ occurring before ‘Event B (Simple Past)’. Example: ‘Film started’ (7:00 PM) -> ‘Arrived at cinema’ (7:15 PM).
Exercise 1:Sequence of Events
Read the statements. Circle the action that happened first in each sentence.
1. I hadn’t learned the song, so the concert was a disaster.(First: learned the song / concert was a disaster)
2. When I spoke to Stephan, he hadn’t finished the book. (First: spoke to Stephan / finished the book)
3. Yara missed the first dance because she had gone to the bathroom. (First: missed dance / gone to bathroom)
4. Solange took the photo after they had fallen down! (First: took photo / fallen down)
5. As soonas they’d started filming, it began to rain. (First: started filming / began torain)
6. Until he played last night, Hari hadn’t performed for years. (First: played last night / hadn’t performed)
7. I had cleaned my bedroom before I had the video call. (First: cleaned bedroom / had video call)
8. By the time we found our seats, the show had started. (First: found seats / show started)
Vocabulary: Movies and TV
To talk about entertainment, we use specific words for genres (types of films) and the people involved.
- Genres: Comedy, horror, science fiction, documentary, animation, fantasy, thriller.
- People & Parts: Director, star, plot, scene, series, reviews.
Exercise 2: Film Vocabulary
Complete the sentences with the words in the box: director, plot, scene, star, animation, series, comedy, documentary, horror, science fiction.
1. The ________ in this movie is amazing; I think the drawings are real art.
2. I thought the movie’s ________ was terrible. Nothing happened. There was no story!
3. I loved the ________ where they all dance at the wedding.
4. The ________ of the show was a young actor from London.
5. I love the TV ________, Dark. It has three seasons.
6. I’m a movie ________. I tell the actors what to do and control the camera angles.
7. This movie is a ________ about a family moving to a new house. It makes you laugh.
8. A film that shows real life events or stories is called a ________.
9. A film in which strange and frightening things happen is a ________ film.
10. A film set in the future, often about space or technology, is a ________ film.
Image: A collage ofmovie genre icons: a laughing mask (comedy), a rocket ship (sci-fi), a ghost (horror), and a film reel (documentary).
Exercise 3: Past Perfect Forms
Complete the sentences with the past perfect form of the verbs in parentheses.
1. When we got home, we discovered that someone ________ (take) my guitar.
2. Before I saw them last night, I ________ (not / see) them for ages.
3. They didn’t know it was a surprise party because Van ________ (not / tell) anyone.
4. Her new shoes still ________ (not / arrive) by the time she needed to wear them.
5. They ________ (leave) the party before I got there.
6. We drove all the way to the theater before we noticed that we ________ (forget) the tickets.
7. Because I ________ (read) the book, I knew what the movie was about.
8. The film ________ (receive) good reviews, so we decided to watch it.
Exercise 4: Adjectives for Films
Match the adjectives (1-8) with their meanings (a-h).
1. dull
2. violent
3. confusing
4. shocking
5. enjoyable
6. moving
7. scary
8. interesting
a. giving pleasure; fun
b. not interesting or exciting
c. difficult to understand; not clear
d. causing fear; frightening
e. containing lots of fighting and killing
f. very surprising and difficult to believe
g. holding your attention
h. causing strong feelings of sadness or sympathy
Exercise 5: Sentence Construction
Combine the two sentences using the Past Perfect and the word in parentheses.
1. The movie started. Then I got to the theater. (by the time)
2. They bought snacks. Then I arrived. (before)
3. He lost his phone. He did not call them. (because)
4. She read all the reviews. Then she bought the book. (until)
5. She bought the tickets. Her brother told her the movie was scary. (after)
6. I had dinner. Then I went to the cinema. (after)
7. The rain stopped. Then we went out. (when)
8. He saved his work. The computer crashed. (before)
Image: A cartoon showing a person arriving at a cinema door with a ‘Closed’ sign, looking disappointed. Caption: ‘By the time he arrived, the cinema had closed.’
Exercise 6: Multiple Choice Review
Choose the correct option to complete the sentences.
1. Although / However it rained allday, we still went to the festival.
2. The film was a great success. Although / However, the sequel was a flop.
3. I don’t really like the film, although / however theacting is good.
4. He felt very well. Although / However, he decided to stay home.
5. We used the past perfect because the action happened before / after another past action.
6. A film based on imagination, not facts, is a documentary / fantasy.
7. A film that tries to make the audience laugh is a horror / comedy.
8. The review / plot is the story of the film.
