Using the Past Perfect Tense of Verbs

The past perfect tense shows action that began and ended in the past. A span of time during which the action occurred is implied, usually by the mention of another action that coincides with or follows the ending. The past perfect is formed with a past tense form of 'to have" and the past participle of the verb.
Examples: My brother had asked my mother for money before he tried asking my father.