Had started.
The past tense verb of "went" with a helping verb is "had gone."
It is not a helping verb. It is a be verb, a past tense plural be verb.
The past tense of "come" with a helping verb is "had come."
Did is already a helping verb. It can be used with the past participle of do making 'had done'.
The word "ride" in the past tense with a helping verb is "had ridden."
The past tense form of "spent" with a helping verb is "had spent."
Sally had finished her homework. (helping verb had, past tense of have)
The past tense of "wear" with a helping verb is "was/were wearing." For example, "He was wearing a blue shirt."
The past tense of "think" with a helping verb is "had thought." For example, "I had thought about it before."
Had is the helping verb. It helps the verb rested create the past perfect tense.
Ate
when our tense is in the past we can use the helping verb had