Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxful
Hi, I need help on the phrases below. I am confused regarding which of these phrases are correct and wrong? And when is the right time to use "had", "has had" and "have had"?
I had already eaten.
I have already eaten.
He has gone for his dinner.
He went for his dinner.
She had already eaten.
She has already eaten.
She has had her dinner already.
She had her dinner already.
He has gone home.
He had gone home.
He has already gone home.
He had already gone home.
He already went home.
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They're all correct, they're just used in different situations. You need to review past tenses, I think. It's hard to explain without visual time lines.
'I had already eaten' is a statement of a past action that happened prior to a more recent past action. For example; I had already eaten by the time the doctor arrived and now I have to wait 6 hours to take my medicine.
'I have already eaten' is a statement of a past action in relation to the present. "I want to eat pizza but i've already eaten eight bags of chips."
With: He
has gone for his dinner vs He went for his dinner; it's just that 'has' is working as an auxiliary verb for 'gone' and 'he went' is unfinished. It should ideally follow on 'he went for his dinner half an hour ago', whereas 'he has gone' can stand as it is.
With, She
has already eaten vs She
has had her dinner already: there's not a huge difference in meaning. We use 'has had' with nouns (had being the auxiliary), and 'has' by itself is followed by the past participle 'eaten'. So you can say "She has already read" but not "She has had read"
She
had her dinner already. <- is a little colloquial, and more American English than British English. because of the use of 'already' here, so in some books may be considered poor grammar.
with the 'he/gone/home' sentences, the difference is again the situation they are used in. it's the same as for 'I/already/eaten' as i explained above, just moved into the 3rd person.
He already went home is different from the 'gone' sentences because it's not narrative, which 'gone' is.
Compare:
Bill had rushed into the office at the last minute, the vital evidence clasped in his hand only to find that Detective Smith had already gone home. (Correct)
Bill had rushed into the office at the last minute, the vital evidence clasped in his hand only to find that Detective Smith had already went home. (incorrect)
Bill had rushed into the office at the last minute, the vital evidence clasped in his hand only to find that Detective Smith wasn't there. "He already went home?" he cried, to the empty office. (Correct)