Perfecter Verbs, The Final Episode

One last blog on the perfect verbs.

Quick review: perfect verbs comprise HAVE + THE PARTICIPLE to make sentences like

I have driven to Seattle.

Randy has bathed his last dog.

Mike has frozen his phone.

When using the past perfect with the verb have (the past participle is had), the tendency is to say "had had:"

We had had a boring summer vacation until we travelled to Michigan.

They had had halibut for dinner. 

However, even though this is grammatically correct, stylistically, most speakers and writers will understand this if you omit one.

We had had a lovely visit with my grandmother.

Mike and Randy had had many amazingly interesting conversations about writing. 

Fairly simple, right?  Much smoother and easier to read.