<p>How do you know when to use had, in this case:</p>
<p>The choir's rendition of "America the Beautiful" was stirring, particularly after the children had finished their presentation of the meaning of freedom.</p>
<p>I think on the last SAT I put one having the error on the had, when it should've been no error.</p>
<p>Also, I don't get on this one there is no mistake:</p>
<p>Before the curtain rose, Anthony wished that he were back in bed, only dreaming about performing in front of hundreds of strangers rather than actually doing it.</p>
<p>I thought it was suppose to be "he was."</p>
<p>For the first sentence, the first part is already in the past tense (The choir's rendition of 'America the Beautiful' was stirring), but the second part occurred in time before the first, so it must be in the pluperfect tense (--after-- the children had finished their presentation), which requires the word "had" before the past participle.</p>
<p>"Were" in the second sentence is correct because that statement takes the subjunctive mood, which is used in cases of uncertainty; Anthony --wished-- that he were back in bed. The subjunctive is used in the same way with phrases like, "If I --were-- you."</p>
<p>in the first example, you use had because it's past-perfect tense. It's hard to explain, but if you only say "after the children finished" it's an ambiguous sentence; putting it in the past-perfect tense makes it more concrete.</p>
<p>In the second one, you say "he were" because it is the subjunctive mood. He's not actually back in bed, he's wishing he was back in bed. Because it is not something that is true, only something that he HOPES to be true, you use the subjunctive "were"</p>
<p>Well, the poster above beat me to it, but yeah...</p>
<p>Maybe look at a grammar book for more clear examples of these and other obscure concepts</p>
<p>Thanks yall! I totally get it.</p>