Past Perfect Continuous

Exercises

Explanation

1. Form

Affirmative

had been + verb-ing

• I had been studying English for months before I took the exam.

• She had been exercising for an hour before she noticed the time.

• They had been discussing the project before the manager arrived.

Negative

had not (hadn’t) been + verb-ing

• I hadn’t been sleeping much before the trip.

• The children hadn’t been behaving well before their parents came home.

• He hadn’t been training regularly before the race.

Questions

Had + subject + been + verb-ing?

• Had you been waiting long before the doors opened?

• Had he been living in that town before he got married?

• Had they been working together before the new project started?

Wh- Questions

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

• How long had she been writing before she took a break?

• What had you been thinking before you changed your mind?

• Where had they been staying before they found an apartment?

2. When Do We Use the Past Perfect Continuous?

A. To show a long action before another past event

This tense emphasizes how long something continued before a later action.

• He had been studying medicine for five years before he entered his final exams.

• We had been waiting outside for twenty minutes before the museum opened.

• They had been fixing the computer for hours before it finally worked.

This use helps the listener understand the background of a past situation.

B. To explain the reason or cause of something in the past

The earlier action explains a later result.

• She was exhausted because she had been running all afternoon.

• His shoes were muddy because he had been walking through the fields.

• They were annoyed because they had been standing in the cold for too long.

This use connects a past activity to a past result.

3. Time Expressions Used with the Past Perfect Continuous

We commonly use expressions that show duration and starting points:

Duration

• for an hour / for two days / for several months

• for a long time

• for ages

Starting point

• since morning / since Monday / since 2015

• since he moved / since they met

Other useful expressions

• all morning / all afternoon / all week

• before

• until / till (often in negative sentences)

Examples:

• She had been working at the company for five years before she got promoted.

• They hadn’t been feeling well until they got some rest.

• He had been living there since 2010 before he moved abroad.

• We had been playing all afternoon before it got dark.

Quick Summary

The Past Perfect Continuous is especially useful when you want to describe background activity, show duration, or explain why something in the past happened.