"he went to work" vs "he had gone to work"

Question

"he went to work" vs "he had gone to work"

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'He had gone to work' is used when referring to a past action that happened before another past event. 'He went to work' is used to simply state a past action without any specific time reference.

Last Updated: March 22, 2024

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.

Alternatives:

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

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.

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.

Answer 1

he went to work

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

Answer 2

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.

"he went to work" vs "he had gone to work"

he went to work

he had gone to work

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