✅ Past perfect continuous formula ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Past Perfect Continuous Tense: How and When to Use It

Forming the Past Perfect Continuous Tense (with Tables)

Quick Reference Table: The Past Perfect Continuous Tense in All Forms

KEY

Ving → Present Participle

The formula for writing the past perfect continuous tense is: had + been + present participle.

Examples:

• We had been walking on the path when a deer crossed in front of us.
• He had been practicing for months when he finally got the call for the audition.
• Jared had been pitching the entire game before his arm finally gave out.
• Brittany had been working for the company for a decade when they laid her off.
• The dogs had been hunting all evening when they finally spotted a rabbit.

Making It Negative

To make the past perfect continuous tense in negative form, use this formula: Had + not + been + present participle.

Examples:

• I had not been studying English for very long before I moved to America.
• He hadn’t been working there very long before they decided to lay off 1,000 workers.
• Sarah hadn’t been attending class very often when the accident happened.

Asking a Question

When asking a question in the past perfect continuous tense, use the formula: Had + subject + been + present participle.

Examples:

• Had you been waiting long when he arrived?
• Had she been speaking for a while when they showed up?
• Had Joey been attending class very often when the accident occured?

Past Perfect Continuous Tense: How and When to Use It

Examples

• Had you been waiting long before the taxi arrived?
• We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key.
• It had been raining hard for several hours and the streets were very wet.
• Her friends had been thinking of calling the police when she walked in.

Forming the Past Perfect Continuous Tense (with Tables)

Quick Reference Table: The Past Perfect Continuous Tense in All Forms

KEY

Ving → Present Participle

The formula for writing the past perfect continuous tense is: had + been + present participle.

Examples:

• We had been walking on the path when a deer crossed in front of us.
• He had been practicing for months when he finally got the call for the audition.
• Jared had been pitching the entire game before his arm finally gave out.
• Brittany had been working for the company for a decade when they laid her off.
• The dogs had been hunting all evening when they finally spotted a rabbit.

Making It Negative

To make the past perfect continuous tense in negative form, use this formula: Had + not + been + present participle.

Examples:

• I had not been studying English for very long before I moved to America.
• He hadn’t been working there very long before they decided to lay off 1,000 workers.
• Sarah hadn’t been attending class very often when the accident happened.

Asking a Question

When asking a question in the past perfect continuous tense, use the formula: Had + subject + been + present participle.

Examples:

• Had you been waiting long when he arrived?
• Had she been speaking for a while when they showed up?
• Had Joey been attending class very often when the accident occured?

When To Use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense is very similar to the present perfect continuous tense because they both start with an action that begins in the past. However, to use the past perfect continuous tense, the action must have ended at a certain point in the past.

Use #1

When describing an action that began in the past and continued to another point of time in the past.

Examples:

• She had been speaking for nearly an hour before her father arrived.
• They had been working for three days before they were fed.
• We had been walking for five miles before we noticed we forgot my little brother.
• Stephanie hadn’t been working for thirty minutes when the robbers entered the bank.
• Had you been waiting long when the bus arrived?

Use #2

When describing the cause and effect of something from the past.

• Grandma was tired because she had been watching the kids all day.
• Terry was bored because he had been typing for 4 hours.
• He did well on his exam because he had been studying for months.

When Not To Use It

Continuous tenses can’t be used with non-continuous verbs. However, there are many verbs that can be both in different situations.

• She had been wanting to leave until Jenny showed up. – Incorrect
  • She had wanted to leave until Jenny showed up – Correct

Also, it’s important to note that without a time duration, most speakers will use the past continuous tense instead of the past perfect continuous. However, this can change the meaning of the sentence.

The past continuous is used to emphasize an interrupted action in the present, but the past perfect continuous is used to emphasize the duration of time before something else that happens. Look at these examples:

• She was exhausted because she was working so much.

This sentence implies that she is exhausted because she is working at the moment.

• She was exhausted because she had been working so much.

This sentence implies that she is exhausted because she had been working over a period of time. She could still be working or she could be finished.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense (Formula, Examples & Exercises)

Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express the action that started in the past and continued in the past for some time. It is also called Past Perfect Progressive Tense.

Signal Words

• for two hours,
• for ________
• All day
• since morning,
• since ______

Structure / Formula

Subject + had + been + Base form(+ing) + object + time reference

Positive Sentences

To make the positive sentences, we use this structure,

Subject + had + been + Base form(+ing) + object + time reference

Examples of positive sentences

• He had been playing football for two hours.
• The child had been studying since morning.
• She had been drafting the plan for a meeting for two hours.
• I had been playing my favorite game.
• They had been working in this office since last year.

Negative Sentences

To make the sentence negative, we add ‘not’ after the auxiliary verb.

Subject + had + not + been + Base form(+ing) + object + TR

Examples of negative sentences.

• The mechanic had not been fixing my bike since morning.
• He had not been reading his favorite book.
• She had not been planting for three hours.
• I had not been traveling.

Question Sentences

Auxiliary verb ‘had’ come at the start of the sentence and question mark at the end.

Had + subject+ been + Base form(+ing) + object + T.R. +?

Examples of question sentences.

• Had he been studying book since morning?
• Had she been planting for two hours?
• Had they been traveling for two days?
• Had he been smoking since 2011?

Usage

Forming the past perfect continuous

The past perfect continuous is composed of two elements – the past perfect of the verb to be (=had been) + the present participle (base+ing).

To buy, past perfect continuous

How this tense compares to the Present Perfect Continuous

As you perhaps remember, we use the present perfect continuous to focus on the duration and effect of an ongoing action. For example,

You’re here finally! I’ve been waiting for over an hour!

We use the continuous form of the past perfect in a similar way but in the past. For example,

I’d been waiting for over an hour when Mike finally arrived.

When not to use the Past Perfect Continuous

As with other continuous tenses, there are some verbs that can’t be used with the past perfect continuous because they are stative verbs rather than action verbs. These include the verbs be, cost, know, love, like, hate, have (for possession), own. So with these and similar verbs, only use the past perfect simple. For example,

When we got married, Bill and I had known each other for ten years. (NOT ‘Bill and I had been knowing each other’.)

Sentence Structure & Rules

There are three possibilities of writing any sentence or a statement in present perfect continuous tense form,

1. Positive statements,
   [Subject + had been + verb (ing) + object] 
2. Negative statements,
   [Subject + had not been + verb (ing) + object]
3. Yes/no type or Interrogative question statements,
   [had + subject + been + verb (ing) + object]

Exercises

1. He (not, bath) in the rain since morning.
2. He (write) an interesting essay.
3. I (take) the dose of medicine for two days.
4. The farmer (plant) since morning.
5. I (learn) English.
6. The child (week) bitterly for one hour.
7. Rita (drive) the black car for five years.
8. The children (watch) the TV all day long.
9. John (smoke) for five years.
10. The mechanic (fix) my bike since morning.
11. I (plan) my holidays for one week.
12. He (obey) the orders of his boss.

Answers

1. He had not been bathing in the rain since morning.
2. He had been writing an interesting essay.
3. I had been taking the dose of medicine for two days.
4. The farmer had been planting since morning.
5. I had been learning English.
6. The child had been weeping bitterly for one hour.
7. Rita had been driving the black car for five years.
8. The children had been watching the TV all day long.
9. John had been smoking for five years.
10. The mechanic had been fixing my bike since morning.
11. I had been planning my holidays for one week.
12. He had been obeying the orders of his boss.

Examples

1. She had been waiting for her father to come from the hospital. (positive)
2. She had not been waiting for her father to come from the hospital. (negative)
3. Had she been waiting for her father to come from the hospital? (question)

1. James had been working on this thesis for three years. (positive)
2. James had not been working on this thesis for three years. (negative)
3. Had James been working on this thesis for three years? (question)

1. Brain Lara had been playing cricket since childhood. (positive)
2. Brain Lara had not been playing cricket since childhood. (negative)
3. Had Brain Lara been playing cricket since childhood? (question)

1. They had been dancing on the beat of the song for half an hour. (positive)
2. They hadn’t been dancing on the beat of the song for half an hour. (negative)
3. Had they been dancing on the beat of the song for half an hour? (question)

Exercise:

Complete the following sentence by using the appropriate verbs to make it as a past perfect continuous tense statement.

1. She _____________ an essay since morning. (write)
2. My father had been ________ for many years. (work)
3. I _________ video games. (play)
4. he had been ________ junk food. (eat)
5. We had been ________ for the exam test. (prepare)
6. He _____________ cosmetic cream for a week. (use)
7. I had been _________ my birthday for many years. (celebrate)
8. _____ he been __________ a song since a morning. (sing)

Answers

1. She had been writing an essay since morning.
2. My father had been working for many years.
3. I had been playing video games.
4. he had been eating junk food.
5. We had been preparing for the exam test.
6. He had been using cosmetic cream for a week.
7. I had been celebrating my birthday for many years.
8. Had he been singing a song since a morning.

Examples or Sentences of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

1. We had been playing video games for five hours.
2. She had been cooking food for two years.
3. That had been watching movies since morning.
4. John had been losing weight before he is an accident.
5. I had been reading books for five months.
6. Girls had been singing a song since 3 o’clock.
7. He had been helping your parents for five years.
8. My father had been leaving in California for months
9. My son had been studying hard during exams.
10. She had been not eating medicine for two months.
11. He had been laughing loud since little age.
12. Carry had been running a ten-kilometer for a young age.
13. He had been calling your clients for two years.
14. I had been doing a job at a young age.
15. She had been loving our children since birth.
16. I had been leasing a podcast for three weeks.
17. They had been using an iPhone for two years.
18. He had been improving your communication skills.
19. Temple had been opening morning for decades.
20. I had been learning English for two years.

Exercises of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Fill in the correct form of the verb as shown in the above sentences.

1. They had been _______ cricket since morning. (watch)
2. she had been _______ a novel for a couple of months. (reading)
3. He had been _________ peris for many years. (travel)
4. We had_______ been __________ free clothes for many years. (not provide)
5. I had been ________ the internet for an hour. (surf)

Answers

1. They had been watching cricket since morning. (watch)
2. she had been reading a novel for a couple of months. (reading)
3. He had been traveling peris for many years. (travel)
4. We had not been provided free clothes for many years. (not provide)
5. I had been surfing the internet for an hour. (surf)