Past Perfect Continuous

Exercises

Explanation

1. Form

Affirmative

had been + verb-ing

• I had been studying for two hours before dinner.

• She had been walking all morning before it started raining.

Negative

had not (hadn’t) been + verb-ing

• I hadn’t been sleeping well before my holiday.

• They hadn’t been practicing enough before the match.

Questions

Had + subject + been + verb-ing?

• Had you been waiting long before the bus came?

• Had he been working there for a year before he moved?

Wh- questions

Wh-word + had + subject + been + verb-ing?

• How long had she been reading before she fell asleep?

• What had they been doing before you arrived?

2. When Do We Use Past Perfect Continuous?

A. To show a long action before another past event

We want to focus on how long the action continued.

• He had been driving for three hours before he stopped for a break.

• We had been waiting for a long time before the doors opened.

B. To explain the reason for a past situation

The earlier action caused something in the past.

• She was tired because she had been working all night.

• His clothes were dirty because he had been painting.

3. Time Expressions

Common words that show duration:

• for an hour / two weeks / a long time

• since last night / Monday / 2010

• all morning, all day, all week

• before

• until / till (often in negatives)

Examples:

• They had been talking for hours before they agreed.

• I hadn’t been feeling well until I rested.

• She had been living abroad since 2018 before she returned.

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