simple past vs. past perfect

[Torsten]

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.

TOEFL listening lectures: A university lecture in Political Science

[Jamie (K)]

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]

Hi Jamie,

Thanks a lot for your immediate response.
Torsten

TOEFL listening lectures: How would you describe the results of the Viking biological experiments?