"Had" or "had had" are both correct, even though the latter sounds a bit silly. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_while_John_had_had_had_had_had_had

"Had" or "had had" are both correct, even though the latter sounds a bit silly. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_while_John_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_a_better_effect_on_the_teacher http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_while_John_had_had_had_ha... Welcome to English. We're sorry.