What Had Already Happened
Past Perfect
The past perfect expresses an action that had finished before another action took place in the past. The past perfect is often used to provide reasons for making a decision in the past.
Example:
Did you gather all receipts before getting the final balance?
She hadn't had time to act on behalf of Jim before she made the presentation.
He hadn't kept his account for long before it was cancelled.
Positive Form:
Subject + had + past participle + (object(s))
I had already agreed to the terms before they offered the additional collateral.
Negative Form:
Subject + had + not + past participle + (object(s))
They hadn't come up with enough votes before they protested the bill.
Question Form:
(Question Word) + have + subject + past participle?
Did you gather all receipts before getting the final balance?