TextRanch

The best way to perfect your writing.

Discover why 1,062,726 users count on TextRanch to get their English corrected!

1. Input your text below.
2. Get it corrected in a few minutes by our editors.
3. Improve your English!

One of our experts will correct your English.

Our experts

he had gone to work vs he went to work

Both sentences are correct, but they are used differently. 'He had gone to work' is used when referring to a past action that happened before another past event. 'He went to work' simply states a past action without a specific time reference.
Vince profile picture

Explained by Vince
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: August 05, 2024 • 36975 views

he had gone to work

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when referring to a past action that happened before another past event.

This phrase is used when you want to indicate that the action of going to work occurred before another past event. It is often used in past perfect tense constructions.

Examples:

  • He had gone to work before the meeting started.
  • By the time I arrived, he had already gone to work.
  • Apr 25, 2024 ... He had gone to work, and as soon as he had knelt down and started to work, a big stone come down – wallop – massive stone, from near the top.
  • Sep 13, 2019 ... If he had gone to work in the Soviet Union, he would have been helping to make Stalin's dreams come true. He went to work for a bottle ...
  • Tyler Ray Baysden, 21, passed away Wednesday June 8,2022 in Florida where he had gone to work a job with his dad. He was born October 3,2000 in Jacksonville.
  • He had gone to work for my aunt's husband as a little boy, and he was now around seventy, having worked for her most of his life. Even though most of that ...
  • Terry went by the full moniker of Terry Noble in the United States and Terry Ephraite in Israel, where he had gone to work on a kibbutz after finishing his ...
  • Sep 11, 2024 ... My older brother, Joe, Joseph Michael Giaccone, had an office on the 103rd floor of the North Tower, and he had gone to work early that ...
  • Jan 29, 2023 ... The first time I ever met Ian he had gone to work for his father as I was also working for mine. Mark sent him with my boss and father, whom ...
  • Jul 31, 2020 ... Racket could reduce anything made of hardwood to splinters in seconds. He had gone to work on the sofa not long ago … not the upholstery. I ...
  • Apr 7, 2022 ... He enjoyed his work in the oil fields of Michigan, Wyoming and the Dakotas for several years; and recently he had gone to work at FedEx Ground ...
  • Nov 16, 2022 ... He recently told me that he had gone to work for a rancher near Greensburg. This man had two sons who were serving in the military and the ...

Alternatives:

  • He had already left for work.
  • He had gone to the office.
  • He had departed for work.
  • He had set off for work.
  • He had headed to work.

he went to work

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to simply state a past action without any specific time reference.

This phrase is used to describe a past action of going to work without emphasizing the sequence of events or a specific time frame.

Examples:

  • Yesterday, he went to work as usual.
  • He went to work by car.
  • Jun 1, 2024 ... He went to work, and I went to the Lego store. Other. r/lotr - Husband and I woke up ...
  • Jul 12, 2016 ... He went to work in order to work. It is usually easy to decide whether to work is a prepositional phrase or the to-infinitive by what follows ...
  • Feb 9, 2024 ... If he went to work with her he'd come home that night with all his shit out in the front yard and the locks changed. ESPECIALLY if he was as ...
  • Jun 30, 2006 ... He went to work despite his illness. He went to work in spite of his illness. He went to work despite the fact that he was ill.
  • Apr 10, 2023 ... It's a noun. As a lifetime English speaker, I can say that almost always "he went to work" refers to "work" as a place.
  • Garrett Rohozen didn't make that team, his heart was broken , rather then letting that be his defining moment , he went to work , he practiced everyday , he ...
  • Jul 1, 2021 ... Learning from the best: Jono Carr on why he went to work with MC at PS40. by Australian Bartender · 0. Michael Chiem. Image: Christopher Pearce.
  • Jun 8, 2023 ... rie-lay: “Damn, he went to work ”
  • Every Day He Went To Work. Callum Mitchell. A poignant search for home, security and a cure for writer's block unfold in Callum Mitchell's tale - a gently ...
  • Jun 23, 2018 ... He had had his breakfast before he went to work. is the correct form. PS. In a sentence which has time variations you cannot have same form of ...

Alternatives:

  • He went to the office.
  • He headed to work.
  • He traveled to work.
  • He commuted to work.
  • He journeyed to work.

Related Comparisons

I've got to work vs I have to work he has gone outside vs he has gone to outside he went to the zoo vs he had gone to the zoo He had gone to market vs He went to market. I go to work vs I went to work

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9TextRanch on TrustPilot).

Why choose TextRanch?

Lowest prices
Up to 50% lower than other online editing sites.

Fastest Times
Our team of editors is working for you 24/7.

Qualified Editors
Native English experts for UK or US English.

Top Customer Service
We are here to help. Satisfaction guaranteed!