The band U2 was just one of-past perfect question

[jenaizhang]

Hi, I have a question regarding usage of past perfect tense. In particular, I want to reference material taken from GMAT SC strategy guide (4th edition) pg 100, 5th paragraph.

"Using this construction, you can even make a tricky sentence in which the first clasuse expresses an early action in simple past. Then, a second clause expresses a later action in past perfect to indicate continued effect (by a still later past time).

ex. The band U2 was just one of the many new groups on the rock musis scene in the early 80s, but less than ten years later, U2 had fully eclipsed its early rivals in the pantheon of popular music."

My question is that I thought past perfect is used to indicate an earlier past event and simple past is used to indicate a later past event. Therefore the information quoted above seems to contradict normal usage of past perfect tense.

Can an instructor please shed light on this and explain why the above sentence construction is correct?

Thank you very much.

Jenai

[RonPurewal]

My question is that I thought past perfect is used to indicate an earlier past event and simple past is used to indicate a later past event. Therefore the information quoted above seems to contradict normal usage of past perfect tense.

go back and read the accompanying text carefully:

(emphasis mine)
you can even make a tricky sentence in which the first clasuse expresses an early action in simple past. Then, a second clause expresses a later action in past perfect to indicate continued effect (by a still later past time).

the "later event" here is the TIME MARKER "less than ten years later".
the clause before "but" is completely independent - i.e., that event has nothing to do with the past-perfect construction.

--

note that you can do this: you can use a past-perfect construction in which the "later event" is not an evnet at all, but, rather, a time marker.

here's a similar sentence:
at the start of the 1991 track season, the world record in the men's long jump had stood for 23 years.
same deal here. the start of the '91 season is the second time marker, the first being the time at which the record was set. (the 'arrow of relevance' on the timeline would be 23 years long, pointing to 1991, so the past perfect is appropriate again.)