Past Perfect Tense vs Simple Past Tense
Past Perfect Tense: [had + past participle]
Uses:
1. Used to indicate that one action occured before another action in the past. It indicates the first of the two actions.
Examples:
When I woke up this morning, my roommate had left already.
After I had eaten my dinner, I went to play soccer.
Before I arrived at the baseball field, the game had already begun.
2. Duration before something in the past. (non-continuous verbs)
Examples:
We had owned that car for ten years before it broke down.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years
Simple Past
- Is used when the meaning is clear from the context.
Example:
After I went shopping, I stopped at the health spa.
Past Perfect: After I had gone shopping, I stopped at the health spa.
****Examples of common errors when using Past Perfect Tense:
When I was young, I had been a soccer player. (Incorrect - no reference to other events)
When I was young, I was a soccer player. (Correct)
Yesterday the Garcia family had opened their new gym. (Incorrect - no reference to other events)
Yesterday the Garcia family opened their new gym.
***In some very rare situations, the past perfect tense can refer to the second past action:
Before I had finished my homework, the telephone rang. (The telephone interrupted me before I finished my homework)
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