English - Grammar - Verb Tenses - Past perfect tense - The Earlier Past
5 steps: (1) Past perfect = had + past participle. It shows something that happened BEFORE another past event. (2) Timeline: [had eaten] ----then---- [went to school]. 'I had eaten breakfast before I went to school.' (3) The 'earlier' action = past perfect. The 'later' action = simple past. (4) Sign