Past Perfect Continuous: The “Had Been Doing” Tense
The Past Perfect Continuous tense helps us express actions that were happening continuously for some time in the past before another action occurred. It’s like describing a movie that was playing for a while until someone pressed pause.
How to Form the Past Perfect Continuous
Here’s the structure:
- Had: This helping verb is always used.
- Been: This word always follows “had.”
- -ing form (present participle): The -ing form of the main verb.
Examples:
- I had been studying for two hours when my friend called.
- They had been waiting in line for 30 minutes before the doors opened.
- She had been working on that project for weeks before she finished it.
When to Use the Past Perfect Continuous
We use this tense when:
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An action started in the past and continued for a period of time before another past action:
- Example: When the rain started, we had been playing soccer for an hour.
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We want to emphasize the duration of the action:
- Example: They were tired because they had been traveling all day.
Keywords to Look For:
These words or phrases often signal the use of the past perfect continuous:
- For (a period of time): for two hours, for a week
- Since (a specific point in time): since yesterday, since 2010
- Before
- When
- All day/week/month
Let’s Practice!
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Complete the Sentence:
- He ________ (to work) at the company for five years before he got promoted. (had been working)
- They ________ (to argue) for hours when I finally arrived. (had been arguing)
- She ________ (to read) for so long that her eyes hurt. (had been reading)
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Make Your Own Sentences: Write three sentences about things you had been doing yesterday before a specific event happened.
Challenge:
Write a short story about a detective who is investigating a crime. Use the past perfect continuous to describe what the suspect had been doing before the crime occurred.
