Introduction
Tenses are a high-scoring topic in PSLE English, but students often lose marks when two past actions appear in the same sentence. This past perfect tense question is a classic example: you must show which action happened earlier.
The Question / Scenario Explanation
Source: English Paper, Question 14
The teacher asked the students what they _____ the day before.
Options:
- do
- did
- had done ✅
- doing
Step-by-Step Solution / Explanation
Step 1: Spot the main past action
Main action: “The teacher asked …”
This is in the past tense.
Step 2: Identify the earlier time clue
Time clue: “the day before”
This tells us the students’ action happened before the teacher asked.
Step 3: Use past perfect tense for the earlier past action
When one past event happened earlier than another past event, we use past perfect tense:
had + past participle
So the correct verb is: had done.
Correct sentence:
The teacher asked the students what they had done the day before.
Correct Answer: Option (3) had done ✅
Key Concepts Students Must Know
- Past perfect tense = had + past participle
- had done, had eaten, had finished, had gone
- Use past perfect when:
- Two events are in the past
- One event happened earlier (“the day before”, “already”, “by the time”)
- Quick pattern:
- Past action (later): asked
- Earlier past action: had done
Exam Tips / Common Mistakes
Exam Tips
- Underline time clues like “the day before”, “already”, “by the time”
- Ask: “Which action happened first?”
- If one action happened earlier, use past perfect tense for that earlier action
Common Mistakes
- Choosing “did” even though “the day before” needs an earlier-past form
- Choosing “do” or “doing” because students focus only on the blank, not the time clue
- Forgetting that reported questions often shift tenses back (asked → had done)
Parent Insight
Many children struggle with tenses because they don’t picture the timeline. For past perfect tense questions, encourage them to draw a simple timeline:
- earlier: students’ action (the day before)
- later: teacher asked
This small habit improves accuracy quickly in PSLE grammar MCQ and editing.
Conclusion
This sentence contains two past actions: the teacher asked (later) and the students’ action happened the day before (earlier). That’s why past perfect tense is needed, and the correct answer is had done.
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