Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[friendly]

Help! Which one is correct?

He went to the store before noon.

He had gone to the store before noon.

Thanks so much in advance!
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[Nef]

Help! Which one is correct?

He went to the store before noon.

He had gone to the store before noon.


Either could be correct, depending on the situation. "He went to the store before noon" is in the simple past tense and "He had gone to the store before noon" is in the past perfect tense.

If you're not sure which to use, I'd suggest trying the simple past tense, which is more general. The past perfect tense (with "had" _____) is used to show that one past action was completed before another past action or, in your example, before a certain time.

[Blossom]

But I was told:

There once was a young man from Kent
Whose rod was so long that it bent.
So to save himself trouble
He bent it in double,
And instead of coming, he went.

I do not understand.

[obelix]

Rod is a slang word (one of many) for p e n i s.

[Blossom]

Ooh! Thanks.