[Grammar] Sue went to bed after she drank OR had drunk her usual cup of beverage

[Oceanlike]

I'm trying to connect two sentences with "AFTER SHE" positioned in the middle.

The two sentences are:
Sue drank her usual cup of beverage. Then she went to bed.

= Sue went to bed AFTER SHE had drunk her usual cup of beverage.

A friend suggested that this is also correct: Sue went to bed AFTER SHE drank her usual cup of beverage.

Are both correct?

Thank you! :-D

 

[Rover_KE]

Your version is correct. Your friend's is dodgy grammatically.

Say '...her usual beverage' or '...her usual cup of cocoa/tea/Horlicks'.

 

[emsr2d2]

You can also say "Sue went to bed after drinking her usual ...".

 

[Raymott]

Your friend is not really wrong. To see this, simply invert the sentence:
"Sue went to bed AFTER SHE drank her usual cup of milk."
"AFTER SHE drank her usual cup of milk, Sue went to bed." Correct.

I don't like the overuse of the past perfect, and "after" is quite sufficient for me to indicate sequence of action. Either tense works though. What I'm suspicious about in your version, Oceanlike, is that it might indicate that you think the past perfect is always necessary in such a case; and that would be a mistake that your friend hasn't made (either through a more sophisticated knowledge of the past perfect, or though ignorance.) Perhaps you could study the requirements and meaning of the past perfect together?

 

[Oceanlike]

You are spot on, Raymott :-D
I'm guilty of thinking that the past perfect is always necessary in such a sentence structure. My friend did not make the same mistake because he is an experienced teacher :-D

I will do as prescribed - study the requirements and meaning of the past perfect together ;-)
(is it "more" correct to say: "I will do as you have prescribed?")

Many thanks!

 

[tedmc]

I will do as prescribed - study the requirements and meaning of the past perfect together
(is it "more" correct to say: "I will do as you have prescribed?")

The three words are optional since it is clear who prescribed.

not a teacher

 

[MikeNewYork]

Ted, if you take out the three words, you will be left with "I will do prescribed". That doesn't work.