Past Perfect Continuous
Similarly to the Past Perfect, the Past Perfect Continuous talks about an activity that started in the past and ended when another event occurred in the past. This tense emphasizes the duration of that activity. In the Past Perfect Continuous, we use the present participle (verb-ing).
Affirmative sentences in Past Perfect Continuous
We form sentences by using the auxiliary verb had, the Past Participle form of to be (been), and the main verb in the present participle.
Subject + had + been + verb-ing + the rest of the sentence
I had been watching TV before I went to sleep.
Negative sentences in Past Perfect Continuous
We form negative sentences by adding not after had.
Subject + had + not + been + verb-ing + the rest of the sentence
I had not been watching TV before I went to sleep.
Questions in Past Perfect Continuous
Questions in Past Perfect Continuous are formed by inversion of had.
Had + subject + been + verb-ing + the rest of the sentence
Had you been watching TV before you went to sleep?
The Usage of Past Perfect Continuous
We use the Past Perfect Continuous to talk about:
+ duration of past activity that ended when something occurred in the past
I had been sleeping for two hours when Adam woke me up.
John had been studying English for three years before he moved to the USA last winter.
John had been studying English for three years before he moved to the USA last winter.
+ the cause of something happening in the past
She was late to work because she had been playing games until late.
We were very hungry because we had been exploring the city without taking a break.
We were very hungry because we had been exploring the city without taking a break.
+ unreal actions in the past (with the use of the third conditional)
If I hadn’t been spending so much money, I would have been in the black now.
I would have been a lawyer if I had been studying seriously in school.
I would have been a lawyer if I had been studying seriously in school.
Other Past Tenses in English
