The past tense referes to an action in the past. The past perfect tense also refers to an action in the past, but there is a twist in that the action can indicate the sequence of past actions.
e.g. He lived in South America before he came to the United States. (a fact that he came from South America)
e.g. He had lived in South America for many years before he came to the United States. (indicating a period of time)
e.g. The patient had died before the doctor arrived.(it was too late for the doctor to come)
Compare:
e.g. I have called the police. (I called the police some time ago, and NOW you don't have to call the police again)
e.g. I called the police half an hour ago; they should be on their way.
e.g. I had called the police before you came back. (both actions took place in the past; calling the police took place BEFORE coming back)
You use different tenses according to the sequence of actions or the meaning attributed to your sentences.
Stephen Lau
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Stephen Lau
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