Past Perfect Continuous Tense

 

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

What It Is:

We use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense to talk about an action that was happening for some time before another past action.
It shows the duration of something that continued up to a certain point in the past.

Formula:

Subject + had been + verb + ing

(“Had been” is used for all subjects.)

💡 Examples:

• I had been studying for two hours before dinner.

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

• They had been waiting for the bus when it finally arrived.

• We had been living in Delhi before moving to Pune.

Common Time Words:

• before

• until

• since

• for

Practice Exercises

A. Fill in the blanks using the Past Perfect Continuous form of the verb in brackets.

1. I ______ (wait) for you for an hour before you came.

2. She ______ (work) hard before she got the promotion.

3. They ______ (not sleep) well for many days.

4. We ______ (study) since morning when the power went out.

5. How long ______ you ______ (live) there before you moved?

B. Write 3 sentences of your own using the Past Perfect Continuous Tense.