Hi Silky, In studying a one more time your examples, I have been asking myself the difference between the sentences: Have you been to England before? and Had you been to England before? Your opinion please. Thank a lot for it. Fra.
The difference between the sentences: Have you/Had you is a bit more difficult to explain and to understand because it is a matter of context. Let's try:
The question "Have you been to England before?" is asked when both people are in their own country. A would simply want to know if B has ever visited England until now.Maybe B has just said he is going to visit England.
The question "Had you ever been to England before" is more likely to be asked if A and B are in England. A would like to know if B had visited England before that visit.
The second sentence is in the past perfect. This tense is used to tell about an action in the past that took place before another action in the past. EX. When I arrived, he had left (so, you didn't see him because he had left before you arrived).
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28 Jan. 2008