went/had gone

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1. They had gone for a trip last week.

2. They went for a trip last week.

Which sentence is correct? I'd be grateful if a simple explanation is given.

Many thanks.

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You asked that before.

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Both are grammatically correct, but (2) makes more sense when the sentence is isolated as it is now. (1) requires some more context in order to be absolutely correct.

The reason is that (1) is in the past perfect tense, which is used when you are describing two or more actions that were completed in the past, and one of them was completed before the other(s). For example, the past perfect tense would be appropriate if you said, "I stopped by their house hoping to see them, but they had gone for a trip." However, when the sentence stands alone as it does in (1), there is only one action being described and no other action with which to compare it; hence there is no obvious need for the past perfect tense.

The simple past, on the other hand, merely indicates that an action has already been completed. It requires no other action with which to compare it, so it can stand alone. Thus, (2) makes sense as is.

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Generally, Americans "go on" a trip.

My friends went on a trip last week.

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My friend said that the following sentences show that the past perfect is correct when used with 'last week' and I quote his sentence below.

When we phoned to see if we could visit them, there was no answer. I have found out why. They had gone for a trip last week.

It seems he is not wrong, especially when last sentence in bold uses the past perfect and stands alone.

However, I wonder whether the last sentence should use the present perfect instead and leave 'last week' out: They have gone for a trip. [without the 'time' element (last week)]

Could you let me know whether I'm correct?

Many thanks.

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You are correct.
The middle sentence "I have found out why" means you can treat it as a present "They have gone for a trip."

However if it had said "I found out why" (referrring to an action in the past) then it would be correct to say "They had gone for a trip."

I hope this is clear.

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McTag wrote:

You are correct.
The middle sentence "I have found out why" means you can treat it as a present "They have gone for a trip."

However if it had said "I found out why" (referrring to an action in the past) then it would be correct to say "They had gone for a trip."

Many thanks, Mc Tag.

They have gone for a trip. (last week)
They had gone for a trip. (last week)

Just to confirm: The phrase 'last week' cannot be used in either sentence. above. Have I understood you correctly?

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Yoong Liat wrote:

McTag wrote:
You are correct.
The middle sentence "I have found out why" means you can treat it as a present "They have gone for a trip."

However if it had said "I found out why" (referrring to an action in the past) then it would be correct to say "They had gone for a trip."

Many thanks, Mc Tag.

They have gone for a trip. (last week)
They had gone for a trip. (last week)

Just to confirm: The phrase 'last week' cannot be used in either sentence. above. Have I understood you correctly?

No, I don't think you understand me completely.

You can put in "last week" if you want. I only left it out, in my examples, for clarity, since we were chiefly considering the verbs.

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Many thanks, Mc Tag.

They have gone for a trip last week.
They had gone for a trip last week.

Both sentences are correct. Have I got it right this time?

But Shapeless told me that the sentence should be "They went for a trip last week." (We cannot use 'had gone'.)

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Yoong Liat wrote:

But Shapeless told me that the sentence should be "They went for a trip last week." (We cannot use 'had gone'.)

If I gave this impression, I was being unclear. "They had gone for a trip last week" makes sense, but it requires more context. The past perfect tense is used when you are describing more than one action and you are trying to convey that one of the actions began and ended before the other action. Your friend's example is a good one:

When we phoned to see if we could visit them, there was no answer. I have found out why. They had gone for a trip last week.

Here, there are several actions being described:

- we phoned them
- I found out why
- they went on a trip

Since the third action happened before the other two, it should be put in the past perfect tense: "They had gone for a trip last week." What I meant to say was that this sentence makes sense as long as it is understood by the context that it is being juxtaposed with some other action that happened after it.

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Thanks, Shapeless.

What you've elaborated is also what was in my mind when I saw my friend's question.

Many thanks for your elaboration.

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Incidentally, I disagree that "They have gone for a trip last week" is correct. The present perfect tense is used for actions that either happened at non-specified times in the past, or are understood to continue in the present. "They have gone for a trip last week" does not fit either of these: if you insert "last week," then the time of the event is specific and it is understood to have ceased by the time the sentence is being spoken; hence it would not take the present perfect tense. If you're trying to convey that they left for a trip last week and have since come back, then you should use the simple past: "They went on a trip last week."

That said, "They have gone for a trip last week" probably happens a lot in spoken English and is one its way to being accepted.

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Yoong Liat wrote:

Many thanks, Mc Tag.

They have gone for a trip last week.

They had gone for a trip last week.

Both sentences are correct. Have I got it right this time?

But Shapeless told me that the sentence should be "They went for a trip last week." (We cannot use 'had gone'.)

Shapeless is correct. The first sentence should be "They went for a trip last week"

"had gone" is the pluperfect (I think), and would only be used if you were comparing two events which had happened in the past:

e.g. "He got cold, because he had taken off his jacket"

"When he opened the door, everyone had gone home"

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Thanks. Mc Tag to you and Shapeless.

It is very clear now.

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went/had gone

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