Which is grammatically correct?
He woke up late this morning because he had a party with his friends last night.
or
He woke up late this morning because he had had a party last night.
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2 Answers
The sentence "He woke up late this morning because he had had a party last night" is correct and preferable. The sentence expresses an idea that something happened before another action in the past; it's a case of past perfect. However, I don't think it's wrong to say "He woke up late this morning because he had a party last night". To me, we can avoid using the past perfect when it doesn't necessitate to use the past perfect or where the past simple works. Look at the following sentences:
1- He spoke quietly because he didn't want her to hear (Cambridge).
2- I did it because you told me to (Oxford).
Your sentence is a "past perfect" tense, with two parts that are both in the past. Using "had had" is the correct grammar.
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/when-are-double-words-ok?page=all
Reversed wording shows this as well. Because he had had a party last night, he woke up late this morning.
"Had gone (to)" can be a replacement for "had had" to see the same past perfect. Because he had gone to a party last night, he woke up late this morning. He work up late this morning because he had gone to a party last night.
