Two past tenses or past perfect + past tense?

Question

I have a question.Which sentence is correct?1) I had crossed the desert and came back2) I crossed the desert and came backIf both sentences are correct, then is there difference in meaning between these two?Past perfect confuses me.......

Mr. Tom · Accepted Answer

I had crossed the desert and (I had) come back. [past perfect tense] [come - came - come]
I crossed the desert and came back. [past simple tense]

Tom

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you Tom for making this more clear, but I'm still confused.

When do I use 1) I had crossed the desert and come back.
and when do I use 2) I crossed the desert and came back.

I thought past perfect requires a simple past tense to indicate an action was complete before the past perfect
ex. I had made my mind before he asked me

But the first sentence (I had crossed the desert and come back) has no simple past verb to indicate when the past perfect was completed.
Or is the first sentence incomplete (need another verb)
Or does it require another sentence that contains a simple past tense verb

Mr. Tom · Answer

I had crossed the desert and come back before the end of the month.
[completeness of both actions: crossed + come back]

I crossed and desert and came back. I must say it wasn't easy at all.
[two simple actions in the past tense: crossed + came back]

Compare:

The injured man had died (action completed) before the ambulance arrived [simple action (verb) in the past].
The ambulance had arrived (action completed) and (had) taken (action completed) the injured man to the hospital before the second accident took place. [simple action (verb) in the past].

Tom

Two past tenses or past perfect + past tense?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions