Grammar: had, had had

MichelleYong · Post by **MichelleYong** » 15 Jan 2023, 00:40

In my latest review, an editor first checked my score, got full marks in grammar. And another checked and found an error, which is the following.

Original:
Before the children went to live at their grandparent's house, Mary Jane had had to cope with being separated from her parents.

Editor:
Before the children went to live at their grandparent's house, Mary Jane had to cope with being separated from her parents.

I checked both on grammarly, and both turned out to be correct. What's the difference between the two? And are both acceptable, or only one is correct. Please help

English is really making me go Poco loco

Blackstenius · Post by **Blackstenius** » 15 Jan 2023, 00:51

Both are grammatically correct. The error would depend on whether it's one or two grandparents.

MichelleYong · Post by **MichelleYong** » 15 Jan 2023, 07:10

namesake wrote: ↑15 Jan 2023, 00:51 Both are grammatically correct. The error would depend on whether it's one or two grandparents.

Had for one grandparent and had had for two? Or vice versa?

Anyhow, thank you for clarifying this. I will take your word for it.

Blackstenius · Post by **Blackstenius** » 15 Jan 2023, 07:58

MichelleYong wrote: ↑15 Jan 2023, 07:10
namesake wrote: ↑15 Jan 2023, 00:51 Both are grammatically correct. The error would depend on whether it's one or two grandparents.
Had for one grandparent and had had for two? Or vice versa?

Anyhow, thank you for clarifying this. I will take your word for it.

No, I'm not referring to 'had' and 'had had'. I'm talking about the placement of the apostrophe in the word grandparents, if it's one it's placed before the s and if they are two it's placed after the s.

MichelleYong · Post by **MichelleYong** » 15 Jan 2023, 08:01

Oh.. that was a embarrassing misunderstanding

Post by **Emily Meadows** » 17 Jan 2023, 12:15

MichelleYong wrote: ↑15 Jan 2023, 00:40
Code: Select all
English is really making me go Poco loco

This ^^. English is a pain in the booty! hahaha. So many rules, so little time.

Omneya Shakeep · Post by **Omneya Shakeep** » 22 Jan 2023, 11:09

Your sentence is correct if you are referring to an action in the past and another that happened before it in the timeline (past simple, had had). The other sentence is correct if the two actions were in the same timeline in the past but were consecutive (past simple, had).

https://www.englishgrammar.org/have-had-and-had-had/