Introduction

We use the past perfect continuous to talk about a continuous action in the past which started and continued until a later past action.

For example:

I	had been running	for six hours by the time	I arrived	at the finish line.
	this happened first		this happened later

... or:

By the time	I arrived	at the finish line,	I had been running	for six hours.
	this happened later		this happened first

The bus was late. I had been waiting for 30 minutes when it finally arrived.

Form

To make the past perfect continuous tense we use:
had / "hadn't been" + "ing" form of the main verb.

For example:

I You He / She / It We They	had (or: I'd / She'd / They'd, etc)	been	lying	in the sun for hours.
	hadn't (had not)

Had

I You He / She / It We They

been

lying

in the sun for hours?

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Practice

Complete the sentences with the correct past perfect continuous form of the verb in brackets.

.

1)

Because it    for days, the pitch was soaked. (rain)

 

2)

She    the flowers so they all died. (not water)

 

3)

   the computer? (they use)

 

4)

Peter    for a new job for months when he finally found one in London. (look)

 

Please submit the missing answers shown in red
 

Submit

Further practice

Choose the correct answer to complete the sentence: a, b, c or d.
.

1)

When the investigation began, the factory ____ toxic waste for years.
 

had been dumped

had been dumping

has been dumping

have been dumping

 

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2)

She ____ her brother's lifestyle for years before she died.
 

has funded

have been funding

has been funding

had been funding

 

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3)

____ on you for a long time?
 

Been they had imposing

Had they been imposing

Had been they imposing

They had been imposing

 

---

4)

We ____ the bird for long before it flew away.
 

had been not feeding

haven't been feeding

hadn't been feeding

not had been feeding

 

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5)

What ____ before the meeting started?
 

had they been doing

has they been doing

they had been doing

had been they doing

 

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6)

____ every night?
 

Had he been gambling

Had been he gambling

Been he had gambling

He had been gambling

 

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Please submit the missing answers shown in red
 

Submit