FORM
[had been + present participle]
Examples:
- You had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.
- Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived?
- You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.
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.
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.
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.
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. Study the examples below to understand the difference.
Examples:
- He was tired because he was exercising so hard.
- He was tired because he had been exercising so hard.
REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs
It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings forMixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use
Past Perfect.
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
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?
Past Perfect Continuous
The Past Perfect Continuous is another tense that expresses the “past in the past”.
In this lesson we look at the
structure and
use of the Past Perfect Continuous tense, followed by a
quiz to check your understanding.
Note that continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the Past Perfect Continuous tense is sometimes called the Past Perfect Progressive tense.
How do we make the Past Perfect Continuous tense?
The structure of the Past Perfect Continuous tense is:
| subject |
+ |
auxiliary have |
+ |
auxiliary be |
+ |
main verb |
| conjugated in Past Simple |
past participle |
| had |
been |
present participle |
The first auxiliary verb (have) is conjugated in the Past Simple, invariable:
had
The second auxiliary verb (be) is invariable in past participle form:
been
The main verb is invariable in present participle form:
-ing
For negative sentences we insert
not after the first auxiliary verb.
For question sentences, we
exchange the subject and the first auxiliary verb.
Look at these example sentences with the Past Perfect Continuous tense:
|
subject |
auxiliary verb |
|
auxiliary verb |
main 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? |
Contraction with Past Perfect Continuous
When we use the Past Perfect Continuous in speaking, we often contract the subject and the first auxiliary verb. We also sometimes do this in informal writing.
| I had been |
I’d been |
| you had been |
you’d been |
| he had been
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 |
- He’d been drinking all day.
- It’d been pouring with rain.
In negative sentences, we may contract the first auxiliary verb and “not”:
- We hadn’t been living there long.
- They hadn’t been studying very hard.
How do we use the Past Perfect Continuous tense?
The Past Perfect Continuous tense is like the Past Perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions in the
past before another action in the
past. For example:
- Ram started waiting at 9am. I arrived at 11am. When I arrived, Ram had been waiting for two hours.
| past |
present |
future |
| Ram starts waiting in past at 9am. |
|
|
|
|
| I arrive in past at 11am. |
|
|
| Ram had been waiting for two hours when I arrived. |
Here are some more examples:
- John was very tired. He had been running.
- I could smell cigarettes. Somebody had been smoking.
- Suddenly, my car broke down. I was not surprised. It had not been running well for a long time.
- Had the pilot been drinking before the crash?
You can sometimes think of the Past Perfect Continuous tense like the Present Perfect Continuous tense, but instead of the time being
now the time is
before.
|
have
been
doing
→ |
|
|
| had
been
doing
→ |
|
|
|
|
past |
present |
future |
For example, imagine that you meet Ram at 11am. Ram says to you:
- “I am angry. I have been waiting for two hours.”
Later, you tell your friends:
- “Ram was angry. He had been waiting for two hours.”
