BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

Had vs had had

Critical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension
Expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 155
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 11:02 am
Thanked: 3 times
by towerSpider » Fri Jan 28, 2011 1:16 am
1. They wanted
me to include
references, but I didn't want to list
my previous landlord because I
Had had some
problems with him in the past and I
knew he wouldn't recommend me.

2. They wanted
me to include
references, but I didn't want to list
my previous landlord because I
Had some
problems with him in the past and I
knew he wouldn't recommend me.

Hello. Which one of them is correct and why? I know we use "had" when we are refering to some event that happened before some other event that is already under discussion, but still use of "had" looks more appropriate. I think this rule does not apply. Your take? Thanks.
People are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own mind.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Verbal Reasoning |
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:58 pm
Location: USA
Thanked: 3 times
GMAT Score:750

by Superduperstudent » Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:55 pm
1. They wanted me to include references, but I didn't want to list my previous landlord because I had had some problems with him in the past and I knew he wouldn't recommend me.
Hi towerSpider,

The correct tense here is "had had," as it describes an event that happened BEFORE another event that is in the past.

You are right that "had" sounds OK too, and it COULD have been correct if the phrase "in the past" hadn't been there. If you instead said "because I had some problems with him and I knew..." then those problems would be understood to have been occurring at the same time as or still be ongoing when "they wanted me to include references."

Since the problems did NOT occur at the same time as the request for references, but they actually occurred "in the past" relative to that point in time, i.e. BEFORE the request for references, the past perfect ("had had") is the way to go.

Here's a time line:
--------past perfect--------------------------simple past-----------------------present------------------
------problems with landlord---------request for references----------telling about the issue-------
Go to www.superduperstudent.com for GMAT tutoring and MBA application support!
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 155
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 11:02 am
Thanked: 3 times

by towerSpider » Fri Feb 04, 2011 10:48 pm
Thats the problem. In official version, only "had" is used.
People are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own mind.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2011 4:58 pm
Location: USA
Thanked: 3 times
GMAT Score:750

by Superduperstudent » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:24 am
Thats the problem. In official version, only "had" is used.
Hi TowerSpider,

I'm afraid I must have misunderstood your question then. I responded to
Which one of them is correct and why?
If you have a different question, I'm happy to address it!
Go to www.superduperstudent.com for GMAT tutoring and MBA application support!
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 2:58 am
Thanked: 1 times

by kapilhede17 » Sun Aug 19, 2012 5:42 am
Can some 1 please show me where HAD HAD is preferred over HAD ..
Thanks
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 578
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:00 pmFollowed by: 62 members
Thanked: 136 times

by KapTeacherEli » Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:03 pm
kapilhede17 wrote:Can some 1 please show me where HAD HAD is preferred over HAD ..
Thanks
Hi kapil,

"had had" is the past perfect of "to have," to we need a case where the past perfect is necessary. That means, we want "to have" something, but that action has to be the earlier of two past actions. So,

"My girlfriend made me pizza for dinner, but I had had pizza for lunch, so I didn't enjoy it. I feel terrible!"

Here, the speaker describes two actions. Both dinner and lunch are in the past, but the lunch is earlier in the past. So, the "had had" is correct--although "had eaten" or "had bought" might be less awkward!
Eli Meyer
Kaplan GMAT Teacher
Cambridge, MA
www.kaptest.com/gmat

ImageImageImage
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1