Past perfect continuous tense
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The past perfect continuous tense describes a continuous action that started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. It is formed with had been + present participle (verb+ing). It is used to show the duration of an action before something else in the past (e.g. "They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived") or to explain the cause of something in the past due to a previous ongoing action (e.g. "He was tired because he had been exercising hard"). Non-continuous verbs and certain mixed verb meanings cannot be used in the past perfect continuous tense.
Past perfect continuous tense
- 1. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
- 2. The structure of the past perfect continuous tense subject + auxiliary verb HAVE conjugated in simple past tense had + auxiliary verb BE + main verb past participle present participle been base + ing
- 3. example sentences with the past perfect continuous tense auxiliary subject verb auxiliary main verb verb + I had been working. + You had been playing tennis. - It had not been working well. - We had not been expecting her. ? Had you been drinking? ? Had they been waiting long?
- 4. contract the subject and first auxiliary verb I had been I'd been you had been you'd been he had she had been it had been he'd been she'd been it'd been we had been we'd been they had been they'd been
- 5. USE 1 : Duration Before Something in the Past We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past.
- 6. Examples: • They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived. • She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business. • How long had you been waiting to get on the bus? • Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work. • James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia. • A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara? B: I had not been studying Turkish very long.
- 7. USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect. Examples: •Jason was tired because he had been jogging. •Sam gained weight because he had been overeating. •Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class
- 8. Past Continuous vs. Past Perfect Continuous If you do not include a duration such as "for five minutes," "for two weeks" or "since Friday," many English speakers choose to use the Past Continuous rather than the Past Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence. Past Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past.
- 9. Study the examples below to understand the difference. • He was tired because he was exercising so hard. (This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he was exercising at that exact moment. ) • He was tired because he had been exercising so hard. (This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he had been exercising over a period of time. It is possible that he was still exercising at
- 10. REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs • It is important to remember that NonContinuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. • Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Past Perfect.
- 11. Examples: • The motorcycle had been belonging to George for years before Tina bought it. (Not Correct) • The motorcycle had belonged to George for years before Tina bought it. (Correct)
- 12. ADVERB PLACEMENT The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples: • You had only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived. • Had you only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived?