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Use of two "HAD' in a sentence 14 Mar 2019, 09:29
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Can any expert provide their valuable insight on usage of TWO HAD in a single sentence.

For example:

I had had too many chocolates, so I was too full to eat dinner yesterday.

This sentence is considered gramatically correct.

Can someone explain why?

Thanks in anticipation

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Use of two "HAD' in a sentence 14 Mar 2019, 09:35
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Hi ,

Here first HAD is helping verb and it is presenting past perfect sentence.

and the second HAD is a past participle of verb HAS.

This is the usage of two HAD.

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Use of two "HAD' in a sentence 14 Mar 2019, 09:44
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fitzpratik
Can any expert provide their valuable insight on usage of TWO HAD in a single sentence.

For example:

I had had too many chocolates, so I was too full to eat dinner yesterday.

This sentence is considered gramatically correct.

Can someone explain why?

Thanks in anticipation
Show more


Hi ,

Here first HAD is helping verb and it is presenting past perfect sentence.

and the second HAD is a past participle of verb HAS.

This is the usage of two HAD.

Posted from my mobile device
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Use of two "HAD' in a sentence Updated on: 17 Mar 2019, 22:28
Originally posted by EducationAisle on 15 Mar 2019, 03:58.
Last edited by EducationAisle on 17 Mar 2019, 22:28, edited 1 time in total.
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fitzpratik

I had had too many chocolates, so I was too full to eat dinner yesterday.
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Hi Pratik, this sentence is in past perfect and you could consider this equivalent to:

I had eaten too many chocolates, so I was too full to eat dinner yesterday.

So, in the original sentence, the second "had" is the past participle of the verb have (the way eaten is the past participle of the verb eat).

Consider the following sentences:

I have chocolates.
- Simple Present

I had chocolates a week back.
- Simple Present

I have had chocolates for two weeks.
- Present Perfect

I had had chocolates for two weeks before they got over.
- Past Perfect

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses the usage of “had had”. Have attached the corresponding section of the book, for your reference.
Attachments

had_had.pdf [16.99 KiB]
Downloaded 81 times

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Use of two "HAD' in a sentence 15 Mar 2019, 19:30
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fitzpratik

I had had too many chocolates, so I was too full to eat dinner yesterday.
Hi Pratik, this sentence is in past perfect and you could consider this as equivalent to:

I had eaten too many chocolates, so I was too full to eat dinner yesterday.

So, in the original sentence, the second "had" is the past participle of the verb have (the way eaten is the past participle of the verb eat).

Consider the following sentences:

I have chocolates.
- Simple Present

I had chocolates a week back.
- Simple Present

I have had chocolates for two weeks.
- Present Perfect

I had had chocolates for two weeks before they got over.
- Past Perfect

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses the usage of “had had”. Have attached the corresponding section of the book, for your reference.
Show more

Thanks for your explanation.
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Use of two "HAD' in a sentence 21 Oct 2021, 10:29
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