Until and the past

[Anonymous]

Hello, I was checking in a grammar book that "the past perfect" is used when we want to talk about something that happened in the past, then endured for a while and finished in the past too. For instance: "She had saved money until 1990". With that I understand that she started saving money some time before 1990 and finished it in 1990. On the other hand I read that "simple past" is used to express something that happened in the past but just in one point of time. For example: "I bought a car in 1990". Being that true, I thoght that we can not use the word until with the "simple past structure". I mean I cannot say "I bought a car until 1990". The question is: Can I use the until with the simple past? Because I read in a magazine the next: "I stayed up until 2 a. m." is that correct? or it has to be "I had stayed up until 2 a. m."?

In the case of Spanish we have "La Real Academia de la Lengua Española" which is an organization that rules the uses of our language, thus they say what is good and what is wrong. Is there any official body ruling English?

Thanks a lot.

[Rusty]

The question is: Can I use the until with the simple past? Because I read in a magazine the next: "I stayed up until 2 a. m." is that correct? or it has to be "I had stayed up until 2 a. m."? (Until expresses a duration of time which ends at a stated point. She saved money until 1990 means that she stopped saving at that point. I stayed up until 2 a.m. means I stopped staying up at that time. The simple past is adequate in this case. When there are two past events, the simple past and the past perfect are required. Example: She had saved money until 1990 when she spent it all on a new car. I had stayed up until 2 a.m. but no phone call came).

Is there any official body ruling English? (I have read that there is no such body).