Is "had begun" proper speech?

Question

Ex: The war had begun.

Something about it doesn't seem right...

Answer 1

it's had begun

It does not look right but it sounds right. It is correct.

Answer 2

For the sake of simplicity, I'd say it'd be better for it to read "The war began." since "...had begun." sounds like a repetition.

Answer 3

For example:  "I went into the theater, and the movie had begun five minutes before.  I missed the beginning!"

Usually /had begun/ has another bit in front, or after, like my example.  It confirms the past tense of it.

Or in your example:  "The war had begun. . . as soon as the tanks rolled in to the desert area."

Not a construction that is used in isolation.

Answer 4

It sure is. It sounds a bit odd sitting by itself, since it's used to show that one thing happened before another. Such as: When people saw soldiers marching, they knew that the war had begun. This says that the war started before the soldiers marched.    

Answer 5

It doesn't sound right because it is called past perfect tense and needs to have another action:

The war had begun long before John joined the Army.

If you want to say the war started:

The war began.  

Answer 6

Sounds ok to me  

Answer 7

I know what you mean about it not sounding right but it's just fine.