Past perfect and past simple - advanced

This lesson explains the advanced uses of the past perfect and how it contrasts with the past simple. You will learn when to use had + past participle to show the earlier past event, when the past simple is enough, and how certain adverbials and sentence structures affect your choice.

• Past perfect (had + past participle) shows an action that happened before another past action.
• Past simple describes completed actions in the past, often used for sequences or when time order is clear.
• Advanced use includes omission of past perfect when time order is clear, emphasis differences, and common passive forms.

Focus on the relative order of past events and the emphasis you want to give:

• Use past perfect (had + past participle) to mark the earlier past action when two past events are compared.
• Use past simple when events are in sequence or when the order is clear from context.
• Use past perfect passive (had been + past participle) to emphasize that something had been done to the subject before another past action.

If time expressions like 'before', 'after', or specific times make order clear, the past perfect can be optional.

Watch out for these universal errors when using past perfect and past simple:

• Using past perfect for a single past event without comparison — unnecessary emphasis.
• Confusing time order: use past perfect for the earlier action, past simple for the later action.
• Mixing tenses incorrectly in reporting sequences (e.g., combining present perfect with past simple inappropriately).
• Using past perfect when the time expressions already make order clear (makes the sentence wordy or redundant).
• Incorrect passive formation: use had been + past participle, not had + been + -ing.

Ask: which action happened first? That determines whether to use had + past participle.