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Past Perfect Continuous

Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and exercises.


Past perfect continuous is used to show that an action started in the past and continued up to another point in the past.

Past Perfect Continuous Forms

Positive: Subject + had + been + verb + -ing

Negative: Subject + had + not + been + verb + -ing

Interrogative: Had + subject + been + verb + -ing

Keywords: by, for, by the time, after, never, ever, already, when, since

Present Continuous Uses

Positive (Subject + had + been + verb + -ing)

Examples:

  • I had been playing

  • You had been playing

  • He / she / it had been playing

  • We had been playing

  • You had been playing

  • They had been playing

Interrogative (Had + subject + been + verb + -ing)

Examples:

  • Had I been playing?

  • Had you been playing?

  • Had he / she / it been playing?

  • Had we been playing?

  • Had you been playing?

  • Had they been playing?

Negative (Subject + had + not + been + verb + -ing)

Full Form Examples:

  • I had not been playing

  • You had not been playing

  • He / She / It had not been playing

  • We had not been playing

  • You had not been playing

  • They had not been playing

Short Form Examples:

  • I had't been playing

  • You had't been playing

  • He / She / It had't been playing

  • We had't been playing

  • You had't been playing

  • They had't been playing


Exercises - Past Perfect Continuous

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  • 1) I had been working had worked at the company for four years when I got the promotion.


  • 2) How long had you been studying German before you moved to Berlin? I hadn't been studying hadn't studied German very long.


  • 3) You had waited had been waiting there for two hours when she finally arrived.


  • 4) My brother was tired because he had been jogging had jogged .


  • 5) My mother wanted to sit down because she had stood had been standing all day at work.


  • 6) They had been talking had talked for over an hour before he arrived.


  • 7) They had been preparing had prepared the event for two years before they moved to London.


  • 8) We had been walking had walked two miles a day before my sister broke her leg.


  • 9) John failed the test because he hadn't attended hadn't been attending class.


  • 10) He had drunk had been drinking all day.


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