Learn English – It was raining last night or It had rained last night

1. The first question is about the tense we should use after "as soon as". In a sentence such as this:

I had left when the phone rang.

you need to use the past perfect in the second clause to show which action came first and which – second. However, when you use “as soon as”, the sequence is clear and it is normally a matter of preference which one to use, so both your examples will be correct. In American English the preference would normally be past simple. The past perfect would emphasize the fact that one action was complete before the other one occurred. (an explanation given in Grammar for Teachers by Andrea DeCapua)

2. In the second pair of examples they are both correct again. It is unnecessary to use past perfect because the time is mentioned and the sequence of events is clear. Also, the actions are described in the order in which they occurred. You can use the past perfect if you want, to emphasize that one was before the other.

3. The third question was about the sentence

He said that the moment he first met her, he felt something special and began to keep a diary.

The actual words the man said must have been:

"The moment I first met her, I felt something special and began to keep a diary."

When you report his words and begin with “He said”, the entire phrase shifts one tense back and becomes:

He said that the moment he had first met her, he had felt something special and had begun to keep a diary.

Although this is the grammatically correct sentence, it is very common that the past simple does not become past perfect in indirect speech. When reporting, native speakers tend to make present tenses past ("I am studying" - "She said she was studying") but very often do not care to make the past tenses perfect, as grammar books always teach us we should.

That is what makes both these sentences correct: "He said that the moment he first met her, he felt something special and began to keep a diary." and “He said that the moment he had first met her, he had felt something special and had begun to keep a diary.” (have a look at the end of this page)

The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultraviolence.

There are actually two different uses going on here. I think the "would" in "This would sharpen you up" is used to transform the statement into a conditional or hypothetical. For example, "That painting would look nice over the fireplace." In this case the implied condition under which "sharpening up" will occur is the drinking the milk-plus.

In the Bundy examples, "would" is preferred because they are generalized statements about his tactics rather than a recital of his crimes. The same generalization is accomplished without the use of "would" by starting a sentence with "in many cases," although the meaning of the sentence would not significantly change had the author chosen to include the word "would".

The last two examples are perfectly valid constructions either way, but you might prefer one over the other depending on context. The meanings are only very subtly different.

The Aztecs used shells and jewels to create dyes.

The above sentence simply states a historical fact about what the Aztecs did. It works well in multiple contexts.

Example A: "I walked through the exhibit. In one diorama, the Aztecs sacrificed a human being. In another, the Aztecs used shells and jewels to create dyes."

Example B1: "Archaeological evidence suggests that the Aztecs used shells and jewels to create dyes for application to clothing, ceramics, and architecture."

Example B2: "Archaeological evidence suggests that the Aztecs would use shells and jewels to create dyes for application to clothing, ceramics, and architecture."

Note that in Example A, "would use" would not be appropriate. However, in Example B, "used" and "would use" are interchangeable without losing the essential meaning.

The Aztecs would use shells and jewels to create dyes.

The above sentence states the same historical fact, but generalizes it as a habitual aspect in past time. As an example, it might be used when describing a scene or trying build a sense of atmosphere. The "would" might also be used for emphasis or contrast.

Example C: "The Aztecs would gladly use shells and jewels to create dyes, but they would never use turmeric."

Example D: "In the fourteenth century, Aztecs would use shells and jewels to create dyes, toiling for untold hours to achieve what is now accomplished by simply boiling powdered cochineal insects. How fortunate we are to live in such an enlightened age."

Again, in the Example D above, you could substitute "used" for "would use" without greatly affecting the meaning. However, "would use" is favored by the author to call attention to the abnormality.

Edit for more examples:

Remember that "would" in this usage describes habitual, or typical behavior.

I'm going to drop the "only" from your final example, because the modifier makes the two statements roughly equivalent. There is more contrast without it.

He spoke of it when he was under a lot of pressure

This statement means he spoke of it at least one time, and he was under pressure at the time that he spoke of it.

It can be considered a discrete event, solidly in the past.

He would speak of it when he was under a lot of pressure

This statement means that whenever he was under pressure, he spoke of it. It suggests that this occurred more than once. The central meaning conveyed is not the past event(s), but the past behavior: activity that was typical, or which could be generalized. This is why we call it "habitual."

The behavior is typical, such that if you traveled back to the timeframe being discussed, the occurrence "would" happen again (conditional/future tense) if the correct conditions were supplied.

Here are a few more examples that may shed some light on the different scenarios:

Simple Past for Discrete event(s):

Last month, I stopped at a gas station for a bite to eat after work.

Seven times last month, I stopped at a gas station for a bite to eat after work.

Simple Past with a frequency for Habitual Behavior:

Last month I frequently stopped at a gas station for a bite to eat after work.

Would for Habitual Behavior:

Before getting married I would stop at a gas station for a bite to eat after work.

Would for Contrasting Habitual Behavior:

In previous years I would stop at a gas station for a bite to eat. Now I wait until I get home.

Would for Habitual Past Tense Conditional:

I would stop at a gas station for a bite to eat if it wasn't too cold outside.

And for the sake of completeness...

Would for Present Tense Conditional:

I would stop at a gas station for a bite to eat if it weren't so cold outside.

Would for Discrete Past Tense Conditional:

I would have stopped at a gas station for a bite to eat if it hadn't been so cold outside.