simple past vs. past perfect

Torsten · #1 (permalink) Thu May 31, 2007 20:33 pm *simple past vs. past perfect*

Hi,

Could you please take a look at the two sentences below and tell me if both are acceptable? What is the difference between both? Thanks a lot. T

He had announced his coming well before he met her.
He announced his coming well before he met her.
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Jamie (K) · #2 (permalink) Thu May 31, 2007 20:42 pm *simple past vs. past perfect*

In the first one, with the announcement sounds like it only happened once.

In formal style, the second one would sound as if he had announced and announced announced his coming, habitually, or quite frequently. In casual speech, the second one would be acceptable and have the same meaning as the first one.

Torsten · #3 (permalink) Thu May 31, 2007 21:02 pm *simple past vs. past perfect*

Hi Jamie,

Thanks a lot for your immediate response.
Torsten
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TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

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