EnglishWhich Happened First?
Look at each pair. Say which action happened earlier. Use had + past participle for that earlier action.
- I arrived at the airport. / The plane departed.
- We checked in. / We booked the hotel online.
- The guided tour started. / She bought a ticket.
- I got to the platform. / The train left.
- They entered the museum. / They paid for the guided tour.
- He called a taxi. / His bus arrived.
By the time I arrived at the airport, the plane had departed.
Earlier past action | Later past action |
|---|---|
Past Perfect: had departed | Past Simple: arrived |
Travel words |
|---|
boarding pass • platform • luggage • hotel reservation • guided tour • departure gate |
Telling the Travel Story
Use the time marker to see the relationship between the actions.
Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
Past Simple | main completed event | We visited a museum. |
Past Continuous | action in progress / background | We were waiting at the departure gate. |
Past Perfect | action completed earlier | We had booked a room before we travelled. |
Connect the time marker and the sentence
Connect each time marker to the travel sentence.
- by the time
- the airline had found my boarding pass, I reached the departure gate.
- while
- I was waiting at the platform, the train arrived.
- as soon as
- I had collected my luggage, I took a taxi.
Connect the next set
Connect each time marker to the travel sentence.
- before
- we boarded, we had shown our passports.
- when
- I arrived at the hotel, the receptionist had found our reservation.
- after
- they had checked in, they went sightseeing.
Connect the final set
Connect each time marker to the travel sentence.
- while
- we were walking around the old town, it started to rain.
- by the time
- the taxi came, I had packed my luggage.
- as soon as
- she had booked the room, she received a confirmation email.
Complete the travel sentences
Explain which event happened first, then complete the missing verb phrase.
- Before we boarded, we [___] our passports.
- When I arrived at the platform, the train already [___] .
- After they [___] , they went sightseeing.
- While we [___] around the old town, it started to rain.
- By the time the taxi came, I [___] my luggage.
Choosing the Best Tense Combination
Check the story logic
Choose the form that fits the story
- By the time we reached the hotel, the receptionist [___] our hotel reservation.
- We [___] a museum when it started to rain.
- As soon as they had booked a room, they [___] to the restaurant.
- After I ate dinner, I [___] to bed.
Check another set of travel stories
Focus on time markers
Your Travel Timeline
Connect each sentence with its job in the story
Connect each travel sentence to its narrative function.
- I had booked the room before we arrived.
- Earlier completed action before another past action
- We were taking photos when it started to rain.
- Background action plus interrupting event
- The guide explained the route, and we followed her.
- Main completed events in sequence
- By the time I reached the gate, the plane had left.
- Later past reference point plus an earlier event
- As soon as they had checked in, they went to their room.
- Earlier action completed before the next past action
Say your own two-event travel sentence
On my last trip, I had ___ before I ___.
Try to include one travel action: book a room, take a taxi, visit a museum, or miss a flight.
