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Past Perfect Continuous
The Past Perfect Continuous shows an action started before another action in the past and continued up to that point.
B2Tenses
Rule
The Past Perfect Continuous is a verb tense that shows an action started before another action in the past and continued up to that point.
Rule
- had + been + -ing form (e.g., had been eating). This is the pattern to form the Past Perfect Continuous.
Usage
- To show an action started before another action in the past and continued up to that point, e.g., 'I had been studying English for three years before I moved to the US.'.
- To give background information about a past action, e.g., 'They had been traveling around Europe for months before they settled in Paris.'.
- To explain why something happened in the past, e.g., 'She was tired because she had been working all night.'.
Examples
- I had been waiting for two hours before the bus arrived.
- They had been playing football all afternoon.
- She had been learning piano for five years before she gave her first concert.
- We had been driving for hours before we stopped for a rest.
- He had been reading the book all day, but he hadn't finished it yet.
- By the time I arrived, they had been eating dinner for an hour.
Common Mistakes
- Wrong: I had been go to school. Correct: I had been going to school.
- Wrong: They had been eats dinner. Correct: They had been eating dinner.
- Wrong: She had been studied English for three years. Correct: She had been studying English for three years.
Tip
Try to remember 'had been' + the -ing form of the verb to form the Past Perfect Continuous.
Quick check
Which of the following sentences correctly uses the past perfect continuous tense?
Where this matters in your exam
Assessed in Writing Task 2 and Speaking.
- Writing Task 2
Use Past Perfect Continuous to describe past actions before another past action.