[Grammar] Wake someone up vs. woke someone up vs. had woken someone up

Hi,

I used grammar check and it shows that the below sentences are all grammatically correct. Would an English teacher or expert please let me know when or how to use all three tenses correctly. I’m a little confused.

#1 He isn’t angry because she wakes him up.

#2 He wasn't angry because she woke him up.


#3 He wasn't angry because she had woken him up.

Lily

What is it about the three sentences you are not clear about?

#1 happens in the present or is a repeated action.

#2 and #3 happened in the past with no significant difference.

The past perfect tense in #3 is used to distinguish an earlier action in the past but makes no difference in the context.

@tedmc - So according to you, #2 & #3 can be used interchangeably? I understand #1.

He isn't angry because she wakes him up.

He is angry for some other reason.

He wasn't angry because she woke him up.

He was angry for some other reason.

He wasn't angry because she had woken him up.

He was angry for some other reason.

Do you get my point?

But I’m asking if there’s a difference between the two tenses in the second clauses and when to use them. I need an English expert who can help confirm my understanding. Thanks so much for your help.

#2 He wasn't angry because she WOKE him up.
Referring to two completed past actions happening at the same time.


“He wasn't angry” because “she HAD WOKEN him up.”
Talking about two completed separated past actions at different times, one happened before the other.
#1 First, she HAD WOKEN him up. #2 He said wasn't angry when they talked about it later.

Lilyoftheorient said:

Would an English teacher or expert please let me know when or how to use all three tenses correctly. I’m a little confused.

Click to expand...

I assume you're talking about present simple, past simple, and past perfect.

The first thing to do to avoid confusion is to immediately get rid of these awful example sentences and find some good ones.

Do not make up your own sentences without knowing what they mean, or what you mean to say with them.