I did my homework and met an offer.
He felt tired because he had worked a lot.
why I have to use 'had' if I can say that:
He felt tired because he worked a lot.
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You don't have to. Either is fine. It just depends on what you're trying to say.– Jason BassfordApr 22, 2019 at 16:53
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Okay. What is the difference with using “had” and without it?– BenderApr 22, 2019 at 17:06
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2I would use these differently as follows: "He felt tired because he had worked a lot" could mean e.g. he worked 80 (or whatever) hours in the last 2 weeks so now he's tired. "He felt tired because he worked a lot" would mean something more like he works lots of hours every week, on a sort of 'ongoing' basis.– seventyeightistApr 22, 2019 at 17:29
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2His working a lot is anterior to his feeling tired, so the past perfect is appropriate..– BillJApr 22, 2019 at 17:35
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1 Answer
Both sentences are grammatical, but they are typically interpreted differently.
He felt tired because he had worked a lot.
This means that he was tired because of a particular event in the past. It's referring to a certain incident, or span of time, that made him tired. (Generally in contrast to him not being tired.)
He felt tired because he worked a lot.
This means that he was generally tired because he had a habit of working a lot. It's something that occurred regularly. Rather than being tired on a specific day after pulling an all-nighter, for instance (where the addition of had is more appropriate), he always worked a lot and was always tired.
Which tense you use is determined by which of those senses you are trying to convey.
answered Apr 22, 2019 at 17:55
