Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence.
She laid the table after she had finished the cooking. (Begin: When .....................)
Topic: Transformation — clause of time
Answer
When she had finished the cooking, she laid the table.
The instruction moves the subordinate clause to the front, so the two halves simply change places and AFTER becomes WHEN.
The ORDER OF EVENTS must be preserved, and the tenses do that work: "had finished" (past perfect) happened first, "laid" (simple past) second. Since "when" is neutral about order, the tenses are the only thing keeping the sequence right — so do not simplify "had finished" to "finished".
Note the comma after the opening subordinate clause. When a sentence begins with a clause of time, a comma separates it from the main clause; when the main clause comes first, no comma is needed.
Watch the verb too: LAID is the past of LAY (to place something), not of LIE. She laid the table; she lay down.