I walked a mile before it began raining. (Past of the Present) I had walked a mile before it began raining. (Past of the Past)
Isolated sentences with the past of the past (past perfect) usually make no sense. Their correct use depends on the context of a narrative.
"I set out for a walk yesterday. It looked cloudy, so I took an umbrella. At first I didn't need the umbrella. In fact, I walked a mile before it began raining. At that point I was glad that I had brought the umbrella because I needed it."
"I remember getting caught in a rainstorm years ago. I was driving home from work when the car broke down. Though it looked like it was about to rain, I decided to walk home since it was only a mile and a half from the car. As it turned out, I only had to walk a half mile in the downpour because I had walked a mile before it began raining."
In both uses of the "Past of the Past" (Past Perfect) [underlined above], the story has already passed the point in time where that past perfect event occurred. The past of the past is then used to 'correct' for the fact that the time line of the story has already passed the time when that event occurred. Moral of the story: If you always tell your listener what happened in the exact order it happened, you'll never need to use the past perfect tense!
CJ
CJ,
Someday, I want to be as good as you.... Perfactly said!
Both are grammatical and your choice depends on the situation and context. However: I had walked a mile before it began raining.
Cheers
CB
The second sentece says the time difference more clearly than the first sentece, right?
So, the second one is a bit more formal, right?
Thanks.
LiJ
I had walked a mile. It began raining.
I had walked a mile; it began raining.
I had walked a mile. It began raining.
I had walked a mile: it began raining.
CB
I had walked a mile before it began raining. (Past of the Past)
Isolated sentences with the past of the past (past perfect) usually make no sense. Their correct use depends on the context of a narrative.
"I set out for a walk yesterday. It looked cloudy, so I took an umbrella. At first I didn't need the umbrella. In fact, I walked a mile before it began raining. At that point I was glad that I had brought the umbrella because I needed it."
"I remember getting caught in a rainstorm years ago. I was driving home from work when the car broke down. Though it looked like it was about to rain, I decided to walk home since it was only a mile and a half from the car. As it turned out, I only had to walk a half mile in the downpour because I had walked a mile before it began raining."
In both uses of the "Past of the Past" (Past Perfect) [underlined above], the story has already passed the point in time where that past perfect event occurred. The past of the past is then used to 'correct' for the fact that the time line of the story has already passed the time when that event occurred. Moral of the story: If you always tell your listener what happened in the exact order it happened, you'll never need to use the past perfect tense!
CJ
Someday, I want to be as good as you....