Past Perfect and Passive Voice

[psychonauts]

Hi, I don't speak english very well, but I'm trying to learn it.
Can you please help me about this sentences ?





" I had dressed quite nicely for my first day as a student.

At 16, I had been upgraded from lowly pupil to proud student upon enrolment at St. Anne's College of Further Education.

In celebration of this new beginning and higher status, I had swapped my usual ripped jeans and sloppy jumpers for a pair of clean dungarees with a neatly pressed white shirt and, much to my mother's shock, I had actually brushed my hair."





Why The Past Perfect and The Passive Voice was used in these sentences ?
I know that we are using Past Perfect when we speak about activity which happened before another past action, but I don't see that "another past action" here.
And why The Passive Voice was used here ?


Please help !!!

Answer in English, please

[Duckduck]

Hi, I don't speak English very well, but I'm trying to learn it.
Can you please help me with these sentences ?


Hi psychonauts and welcome to the forum!

Let's see and let me ask a question first: Are these sentences from a story or novel? Without their context it is not easy to positively explain the use of the Past Perfect. But I'll try.

The context could be that a (let's say) 35-year-old narrator is talking about his youth in general. And then he remembers a central change in his life: his first attending a new school at the age of 16. All the rest of the story he might have spoken in Past Tense, but now he remembers, how important this step was for him and that's why he wants to tell us a little more about what he did before the event of starting in his new school. So let's say he started school on Thursday 6 June, 1984 and the things mentioned in your sentences all happened before that date. (On Monday 3 June, Tuesday 4 June, Wednesday 5 June, 1984).
That would explain the use of the Past Perfect, wouldn't it?

And concerning the second part of your question... The only use of the Passive Voice I could discover is "had been upgraded". And that simply means that he didn't effect the upgrading himself (obviously), but that someone else did it (educational administration or some such because he had finished the "children's education" and was about to begin with that for the grown-ups).

" I had dressed quite nicely for my first day as a student.

At 16, I had been upgraded from lowly pupil to proud student upon enrolment at St. Anne's College of Further Education.

In celebration of this new beginning and higher status, I had swapped my usual ripped jeans and sloppy jumpers for a pair of clean dungarees with a neatly pressed white shirt and, much to my mother's shock, I had actually brushed my hair."


Why was The Past Perfect and The Passive Voice was used in these sentences ?
I know that we are using Past Perfect when we speak about activity which happened before another past action, but I don't see that "another past action" here. Clearer now? The things he describes in your sentences happened before he started the new school, in preparation thereof, so to speak...
And why was the Passive Voice was used here ?


Please help !!!

Cheers
Duckduck

Answer in English, please

[psychonauts]

Let's see and let me ask a question first: Are these sentences from a story or novel? Without their context it is not easy to positively explain the use of the Past Perfect. But I'll try.

I think they are from a story.

Thank you very much !!!