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Victo Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

'had' – does it change a sentence's meaning?

Does the inclusion of 'had' in the 2nd sentence change its meaning when you compare it to the 1st sentence?


Are both sentences correct?


When should I use 'had', or doesn't it really matter?


Do I need a comma after 'yesterday'? I say no.


(1) Yesterday I crashed my car into a tree.


(2) Yesterday I had crashed my car into a tree.


Thank you.
  

Top answer

It doesn't change the meaning, but it changes the time reference. In (2), we expect more information, such as: Yesterday I had crashed my car into a tree before I realized what the speed limit was. [ Note that many people do not feel the need for the past perfect (had crashed) when a word like 'before' or 'after' is included.

— Philip

  • It doesn't change the meaning, but it changes the time reference.
  • In (2), we expect more information, such as: Yesterday I had crashed my car into a tree before I realized what the speed limit was.
  • [ Note that many people do not feel the need for the past perfect (had crashed) when a word like 'before' or 'after' is included.
  • ]
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1 Answers
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It doesn't change the meaning, but it changes the time reference. In (2), we expect more information, such as: Yesterday I had crashed my car into a tree before I realized what the speed limit was. [ Note that many people do not feel the need for the past perfect (had crashed) when a word like 'before' or 'after' is included. ]
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