Past perfect continuous examples of sentences with translation. Past Perfect Continuous - rules and examples. How sentences are built in Past Perfect Continuous

In the article, based on the rules and examples, we will tell you how to correctly form and use the Past Perfect Continuous.

Education Past Perfect Continuous

First, let's look at how the Past Perfect Continuous is formed:

Consider examples of affirmative sentences in the Past Perfect Continuous:

He had been looking for a job for months before he got one. - He looking for job for months before I found it.
By the time we came home, our mum had been cooking in the kitchen for three hours. - By the time we got home, our mother cooked in the kitchen for three hours.

Examples of negative sentences in Past Perfect Continuous:

my sister hadn't been waiting long at the airport when they announced about the delay of her flight. - My sister not for a long time waited at the airport when her flight was announced to be delayed.
She hadn't been swimming for more than ten years by the time she moved to Miami. - She did not swim over ten years by the time she moved to Miami.

Examples of interrogative sentences in Past Perfect Continuous:

Had you been playing football long when Alex arrived? - you long played football when did Alex arrive?
how long had you been going out with David before you split up? - How long you met with David before they broke up?

Using the Past Perfect Continuous

Let's look at when the Past Perfect Continuous is used:

1. Past Perfect Continuous is used when we need to focus on the duration of an action that began and ended before another action in the past began. Consider examples of sentences in the Past Perfect Continuous:

   We had been flying for almost four hours before the flight attendants started to serve the meals. - We flew for almost four hours before the flight attendants started spreading food.
   how long had you been driving when you understood that you were lost? - How long you were driving a car, when understood what are you lost?
   By the time he came to the office, we had been negotiating for two hours. - By the time he came to the office, we negotiated for two hours.

2. Past Perfect Continuous is appropriate to use when the action lasted for some time in the past, then ended, and its result was also obvious in the past.

   It was so clean when we got back to our hotel room. The maids had been cleaned all morning. - When we got back to the hotel room, it was so clean. Maids cleaning all morning.

Marker words Past Perfect Continuous

We will look at the most common Past Perfect Continuous marker words, and also give some examples with translation:

• for - during, during (followed by the amount of time, for example, all morning, five years);
• before - before;
• since - since (after since we put a specific time, date or day of the week);
• how long - how long (used in interrogative sentences);
• until/till - as long as;
• all morning, all day, all night long - all morning, all day, all night;
• by - to a certain moment (in the past).

My husband and I had been living with my parents for a year before we moved house. - My husband and I lived with my parents for of the year, before we moved.
The company closed down a week ago had been successfully working since 1925 - The company that closed last week successfully worked with 1925.

- how long had you been learning to dance?
-I had been learning to dance until I understood I was hopeless.
- How long you learned to dance?
- I learned to dance until then, till did not understand that I was hopeless.

Past Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect Continuous

Unlike Present Perfect Continuous, where the action began in the past and is still ongoing, Past Perfect Continuous tells us that the action began in the past, lasted in the past, and ended up to a certain point in the past. Let's compare them:

Please note that, just like in Present Perfect Continuous, state verbs (like, love, know, understand, see and others) cannot be used in Past Perfect Continuous. If it is important for you to show the duration of the action, use the Past Perfect. For example:

I had known her for 10 years before we lost touch. - I knew its 10 years before we lost touch.

Past Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect and Past Continuous

The Past Continuous is used to express an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past and/or was interrupted by another event in the Past Simple. Often this time is used to describe the background of a story.

Past Perfect is appropriate to use when we need to show which of two actions in the past happened first. For the Past Perfect, the completion of the action, its result, is important.

The difference between Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous is that in one time the result of the action and its completion are important, and in the second the emphasis is on duration.

Here is an example of a sentence in which we use three past tenses at once:

We had been driving for about an hour when we understood that we had forgotten our dog at home. - We were driving about an hour when understood, what forgot our dog at home.

The first part of the sentence is a long action in the past, which lasted until the moment when they realized that they had forgotten the dog. The second sentence is a short completed action. The third sentence is an action that happened before all other events in the past.

Now you know how and when to use the Past Perfect Continuous and how it differs from other tenses. And to consolidate the acquired knowledge, we suggest you take a test on the topic.

Test on the topic "Past Perfect Continuous - rules and examples"

Average level

Past Perfect Continuous is the equivalent Present Perfect Continuous in the past, that is, this time performs all the same tasks as Present Perfect Continuous, only in the past.

1. Past Perfect Continuous It is used when an action started in the past and continued until a certain point in the past. This moment is indicated by another action and special words: for(during), since(since), by the time(by the time when), before(before as), after(after).
   

   She had been cooking a lemon pie for an hour before I came. - She cooked lemon pie within an hour before, how I came. (I came - a moment in the past, up to this moment she cooked a pie for one hour)

   By the time she woke up, her husband had been fixing the car for 2 hours. – To the moment, when she woke up, her husband repaired car two hours.

2. Past Perfect Continuous shows an action that lasted for some time in the past and the result of which was visible in the past. Very often, such sentences indicate the duration of the action.
   

   There were puddles in the street. It had been raining at night. - There were puddles in the streets. At night walked rain. (we did not catch the moment when it was raining, but we saw the result - puddles)

   I had been talking on the phone for half an hour when he entered the room. - I talked on the phone within half an hour when he entered the room.

3. Past Perfect Continuous is not used with state verbs (), even if we want to emphasize the duration of the action. Also Past Perfect Continuous rarely found in negative sentences. In both cases, this time is replaced by past perfect. However, the meaning of the sentence remains the same.
   

   He had admired her talent for all his life. - He admired her talent all her life.

   He hadn't been riding a bike since he was a child. = He hadn't ridden a bike since he was a child. - He did not go on a bike since I was a child.

Pre-past-long - past tense for terminated processes. Something happened or repeated to the past moment. This activity has just ended or was still in progress. The past perfect-long replaces the present perfect-long, emphasizing the duration of the activity that ended in another past.

The past-continuous is formed as had been+ real communion. It can be reduced to ‘ d been. Prepast continuous negation hadnot / hadn't.

I'd been working hard all day - Ihardworkedthe wholeday

Meanings of the Past Perfect Continuous

• completed processes

They had been looking for a house for six months before they found one they liked - Theywere looking forHousesix monthsfronttopics, howto findliked

It was 1 o'clock and the dog from next door had been barking for two hours - Washournights, butneighborlydogbarkedalready2 hours

Since then the index had been rising fast - Cthosesinceindicatorfastgrew up

• visible past processes

He was announced. He had been waiting at the airport for three hoursexpectationinairportannoyinghis

I had been driving for ten hours, so I felt exhausted - Iled10 hourscontract, from whatAndran out of steam

Why were you so wet? Whathadyoubeendoing? Why are you soaked then? What did you do before?

She was tired because she'd been working very hard - Shetired, after allworkedverytensely

But it had been raining so the ground was wet - Butwalkedrain, that's whyEarthmoistened

When the boys came into the house, their clothes were dirty, their hair was untidy and one of them had a black eye. They'dbeenfighting - When the boys came home, their clothes were torn, their hair was disheveled, and one had a black eye. Looks like they fought

• in indirect speech (from pre-present continuous)

She said it had been raining there for days – Byherwords, rainswalkedseveraldays

He complained he had been waiting for his pay all week long – Hecomplained, whatwaitingsalarykissweek

neighboring times

As a result of the merger of the past and the past-long, the past-long tense emphasizes both the effectiveness and the duration of the activity. with verbs live, work, teach, feel You can use the past and past continuous interchangeably. However, as a longer tense than the perfect tense, the prepast continuous avoids the rest of the static verbs. Therefore, this time is a dynamic version of the past.

We had known each other for years - Wewere knownnotoneyear

Temporary indication

• conjunctions / prepositions

for, since, how long, before, until

We’d been playing for about half an hour when it started to rain very heavily - Wewere playingabouthalf an hour, whenwentshower

Ken gave up smoking 2 years ago. He'dbeensmokingfor 30years - Ken quit smoking 2 years ago. Before that, he smoked for 30 years

I'd been waiting for 20 minutes before the bus came - Iwaited20 minutestillbusnotcame

He had been riding since he bought his bicycle - Heridesfromthosesince, whatboughtbike

She had been avoiding new relationships until she met Frank - She avoided new relationships until she met Frank

English Joke

The recruit complained to the sergeant that he'd got a splinter in his finger.

"Ye should have more sinse," was the harsh comment, "than to scratch your head."

Past Perfect Continuous- this is, in fact, an analogue of Present Perfect Continuous, but in the past tense. The Past Perfect Continuous time has its own peculiarity - it is not used in speech as an independent one, that is, it always turns out to be in conjunction with another time. This can complicate the understanding and use of the Past Perfect Continuous, since it has no equivalent in Russian: one past tense is used to refer to any actions that took place in the past. The British, on the other hand, prefer to clearly define the sequence of events with the help of complex tenses.

The use of Past Perfect Continuous in English requires knowledge of certain rules. As a rule, this tense is used to refer to actions or events that began in the past, lasted for a certain period of time, and ended by the time another event or action began.

Examples of using the past perfect continuous tense:

• I had been cooking on the kitchen for an hour when the telephone rang up and my friend invited me to the party. - I was cooking in the kitchen for an hour when the phone rang and my friend invited me to a party.
• They had been working at this project since 2000 until they finished it. - They worked on this project from 2000 until they finished it.
• They had been walking for half an hour before they met Tony. They walked for half an hour until they met Tony.
• She had been living in that house for five years when it burnt down. She had been living in this house for more than five years when it burned down.

Important to remember: when past perfect continius is used in a sentence, the same time indicators are usually present as when using Present Perfect Continuous: since - from that moment, for - during.

Past Perfect Continuous can also denote an action that lasted for some period of time in the past and ended with a certain result. In this case, the duration of the action is usually indicated. Usage example:

• There was snow in the street. It had been snowing at night. - There was snow outside. There was snowfall at night. (snow is the result of snowfall)
• I had been reading the book for an hour when John came back home. I had been reading the book for an hour when John came home.
• The child was dirty because he had been playing in sand. - The child was dirty because he played in the sand.
• Alice gained weight because she ate too much sugar. Alice gained weight because she ate too much sugar.
• Betty fainted because she had not been eating since morning. - Betty fainted because she hadn't eaten anything since morning.

Uses of the Past Perfect Continuous when constructing negative sentences, they try to avoid it, replacing it with Past Perfect. The meaning of the sentence is preserved.

Examples:

• He had loved her for all his life. - He loved her all his life.
• He hadn't been swimming in a river since he was a child. = He hadn't swum in a river since he was a child. He hasn't swum in the river since he was a child.

Also, Past Perfect Continuous tense, like all tenses of the Continuous group, is not used in conjunction with verbs of a non-long group, as well as with some verbs of a mixed group. Instead of Past Perfect Continuous, you need to use Past Perfect with them.

Examples:

• The house had been belonging to an eldery couple for many years before she bought it. - The house belonged to an elderly couple for many years before they bought it. (Wrong.)
• The house had belonged to an eldery couple for years before she bought it. (Right.)

Important to remember

If an action that lasted for some period of time in the past is not limited to an exact indication of time, Simple Past or Past Perfect should be used.

Examples:

• Not had been watching TV for several hours when his mother told him to go to bed. He had been watching TV for several hours when his mother told him to go to bed. (The first action - looked - is limited to an exact indication of another action - mom said, so it is expressed in Past Perfect Continuous.)
• Not watched TV for several hours. He watched TV for several hours.

All these are the basic rules for using perfect continius pastes. This time has a rather narrow “specialization” and in modern English is often replaced by other tenses, so there are quite a few cases of its use, and it is not difficult to remember them.

Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous: how not to confuse

Past Perfect Continuous time is similar not only to Past Perfect, but also to Past Continuous. Because of this, it is often difficult to determine which of these tenses should be used. The presence of the ending -ing makes the construction of both tenses similar. In addition, both Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous indicate an action or event that continued in the past:

• I was cleaning up my room when she came home. I was cleaning the room when she came home. The time used is Past Continuous: it is used because the action was going on at the moment when another event happened, that is, cleaning and returning home happened at the same moment.
• I had been cleaning up my room for half an hour when she came home. I had been cleaning the room for half an hour when she came home. The time used is Past Perfect Continuous: the action began and lasted for some period of time before another event occurred, that is, at first I cleaned up for half an hour, and then she came home.
• It wasn't raining when we went out. The sun was shining. But it had been raining, so the ground was wet. - When we left, it was not raining. The sun was shining. But before that it had rained and the ground was wet.
• Tom was sleeping already at 9 pm. He went to bed early because he had been working at night that day. Tom was already asleep at nine o'clock. He went to bed early because before that he worked at night.

Despite many similarities, distinguishing these two tenses is quite simple - for this you need to pay attention to the prepositions that accompany the words indicating time. The use of the preposition for - during (for an hour, for a week, for a month) indicates that you need to use Past Perfect Continuous, not Past Continuous.

How sentences are built in Past Perfect Continuous

Education Past Perfect Continuous occurs with the help of: the auxiliary verb had (have in the past tense), the verb to be in the 3rd form - been and the ending -ing, which is added to the verb denoting the action itself

Usage examples:

• I had been listening to music for several hours. I listened to music for several hours.
• I had been working in a garden since morning. - I have been working in the garden since morning. She had been doing her homework since 5 o'clock. She did her homework until 5 o'clock.

Singular

I had been walking

You had been walking

He/she/it had been walking

Plural

We had been walking

You had been walking

They had been walking

Negative Past Perfect Continuous formed with the negative particle not, which is placed after the first auxiliary verb had.

• Has not been playing tennis since 2000. He has not been playing tennis since 2000.
• Of course he wasn't tired! He had not been working like a horse all the week. Of course he's not tired! He didn't work all week like a horse!
• She had not been speaking before she was told to. She didn't talk before she was told.

Use with pronouns: Singular I had not been walking You had not been walking Plural We had not been walking

How is the Past Perfect Continuous formed in the interrogative form: the first auxiliary verb had is simply placed first before the subject.

Examples:

• Had you been playing tennis for 5 years? - Have you played tennis for five years?
• How long have you been sitting here? - How long have you been sitting here?
• How long had you been training before you won your first competition? - How long did you train before you won your first competition?

Use with pronouns:

Singular

Had I been walking?

Had you been walking?

Had he/she/it been walking?

Plural

Had we been walking?

Had you been walking?

Had they been walking?

You can’t talk about how the Past Perfect Continuous is formed without mentioning timing words, which always help to unmistakably distinguish it from other similar tenses:

• before - before;
• till - before;
• untill - until;
• for an hour - for an hour;
• for 5 hours - for five hours;
• for a day - throughout the day;
• for a week - throughout the week;
• for a month - throughout the month;
• all morning / the whole morning - all morning;
• all day (long) / the whole day - all day;
• all week / the whole week - all week;
• all month / the whole month - the whole month;
• all year (round) - the whole year;
• since 5 o'clock - from five o'clock;
• since last week - since last week;
• since last month - since last month.
• since 1991 - since 1991
• since last century - since the last century

In colloquial speech, the Past Perfect Continuous uses the same abbreviations as in the Past Perfect: I'd been doing, he'd been talking, I hadn't been doing, I'd not been talking, hadn't he been doing ?

Important to remember: Almost every English tense has both an active and a passive voice. The Past Perfect Continuous has only an active form. If you want to use a passive, then Past Perfect Continuous, as a rule, is replaced by Past Perfect.

The Past Perfect Progressive, as well as the Past Perfect Continuous, is used for actions that were in progress until a certain time in the past and emphasized this process, not completion. This tense is similar to but is used to express past actions. You will receive tips on when to use the past perfect continuous tense in English sentences. Russian transcription [paste perfect continius / progressive] - English transcription.

Before you start studying, read a short text. Try to translate the text in writing and at the same time learn new words that you have not yet encountered.

Jerrold had been practicing fencing for about 15 years. Many years ago, his father won the World Championship. He taught Jerrold how to fence when Jerrold was just 8 years old. Jerrold had been practicing fencing ever since. He had been training in a small gym for many years.
Last night, Jerrold took part in the fencing tournament. He had been hoping to win this tournament since he first saw fencing on television 11 years ago. He competed against many fencers for the trophy. He won the fight with the score 15 to 13. Everyone cheered and clapped for Jerrold.
Jerrold knew he was great because he had been going in for fencing for a long time.

Past Perfect Continuous education rules

In this section, we will show you how the Past Perfect Continuous is formed.
Sentences in this tense are built as follows: as usual, the subject comes first, followed by (past participle had), after the auxiliary, followed by (past participle - been) and Participle I.
Past Perfect Continuous formula: subject + had + been + present participle (ending -ing).

Cases of using Past Perfect Continuous

At the very beginning, it will certainly be difficult to know when to use the past perfect continuous. But everything has its time! After reading the article to the end, you will understand that not everything is as difficult as it seems. Let's get started!

1. Description of actions and situations

The first thing we will look at is that the Past Perfect Continuous in English is used to describe an action or situations that happened at a certain time in the past or before another past event.

example:

— We had been driving for five hours when the storm broke out - We drove for five hours when the storm broke out.
— We had been living in the same flat for thirty years before we decided to move - We lived in the same apartment for thirty years before we decided to move.
— Jerrold had been practicing fencing for about 15 years - Jerrold has been fencing for 15 years.

• We often use the Past Perfect Progressive with . The Past Continuous Perfect is always used for an action that happened or started earlier.

Let's look at examples :

Ryan had been texting her long before they met Ryan corresponded with her for a long time before they met.
— I had a terrible headache because I had been reading all day - I had a terrible headache because I read all day.

The events do not have to appear in the sentence in the order in which they happened. An earlier event may become the second.

example:

— Before we decided to move, we had been living in the same flat for thirty years. (The earlier event appears later in the sentence).
— We had been living in the same flat for thirty years before we decided to move. (The earlier event appears first in the sentence).

2. Actions in the past with a certain duration and this action has a visible result in the past

example:

— He was tired. He had been swimming for hours - He was tired. He swam for several hours.
— Dad was angry. He had been arguing with Daisy - Dad was angry. He argued with Daisy.
— David had been skiing all day. He was exhausted – David has been skiing all day. He was exhausted.

3. Past Perfect Continuous is the equivalent

example:

— I am going to the swimming pool. my back has been learning for three days - I'm going to the pool. My back has been hurting for three days now. ().
— I went to the swimming pool. my back had been learning for three days - I went to the pool. My back hurt for three days. (Past Perfect Continuous).
— She has been trying to find a job in Hollywood for years - She has been trying to find a job in Hollywood for years.
— She had been trying to find a job in Hollywood for years - For many years she tried to find a job in Hollywood.

4. An action interrupts another action

We use the past perfect continuous to show that something started in the past and continued until another action stopped it.

example:

— We had been watching the game when the lights went off - We watched the game and the lights went out.
— I had been training for ten minutes when my boyfriend knocked on the door - I was training for ten minutes when my boyfriend knocked on the door.

• Note:

Native speakers rarely use the past perfect continuous tense in colloquial speech. You may have noticed that this time is most often found in written speech. Therefore, English speakers prefer to use simpler tenses.

example:

— I had been training for ten minutes when my boyfriend knocked on the door.
— I was training when my boyfriend knocked on the door.

Marker words Past Perfect Continuous

Signal words will help you recognize tense in a sentence. Auxiliary words:
For, since, all morning, all day, all my life, all day long, the whole day

The indicators for the past perfect continuous are the same as for . The only difference is that the past perfect continuous marker words refer to the past, not the present.

Sample sentences with words companions:

— The ship had been sailing for two weeks - The ship sailed for two weeks.
— I had been going in for fencing since 2001 - I have been fencing since 2001.
— My mother needed a break because she had been working all morning My mom needed a break because she had been working all morning.

Past Perfect Continuous sentence forms

To conjugate the past perfect continuous in English grammar, we need Helping Verbs (auxiliary verbs) to have and to be: had + been + present participle (-ing form). The tables below show the rules and examples of negative, affirmative and interrogative sentences in the past perfect progressive.

Affirmative form Past Perfect Continuous (Affirmative sentences)

Abbreviated form of affirmative sentences:
— He'd been feeling unwell for months.

Negative Past Perfect Continuous (Negative sentences)

In negations, a negative particle not placed after the auxiliary verb had.

Abbreviated form of negative sentences:

— I hadn't been reading.

Interrogative form Past Perfect Continuous (Interrogative sentences)

As already known, in questions, the auxiliary verb comes first.

Shortened interrogative-negative form:

— Had she not been crying?
— Hadn't she been crying?

The verb "Been" in the Past Perfect Progressive is sometimes added to short answers.
example: Yes, I had been.

Difference between Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous

Let's start with the fact that these two English times are the most difficult of the rest of the past times. differs from the Past Perfect Continuous in that the past perfect is used for actions that were completed in the past, while the past perfect continuous can be used for actions that were in progress in the past. This is the main difference between these two times.
Anyway, consider the detailed difference between and Past Perfect Continuous.

For actions that continue for a long time (walk, run, sleep, work, etc.), or Past Perf is often used. cont.

example:

had worked all night - .
— Sarah felt exhausted because she had been working all day - Past Perfect Continuous.

As we wrote above, it is used when the action was completed in the past. So, if this action was completed first, we use the past perfect tense.

example:

— When I opened the fridge, I found that my sister Jane had drunk all the milk - When I opened the refrigerator, I found that my sister Jane had drunk all the milk. (Early action - had drunk).

But if the first action was not completed, then we use the Past Perfect Continuous.

example:

— My sister and I had been dancing in the club for hours when we suddenly realized that it was late - My sister and I danced for hours in the club when we suddenly realized that it was already late.
Here we are focusing on the process (how long the action took) rather than the end result.

Another moment we use is when we say how many times something has happened up to a certain point in the past.

— She had sung a song ten times - She sang the song ten times.

General Table The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Exercises and answers on the topic Past Perfect Continuous

You got acquainted with examples of sentences of the past perfect long time, now we suggest you consolidate the material covered by doing exercises.

Exercise 1. Put the verb in the appropriate form.

1. When my husband got to the beach I (lie) in the sun for three hours.

2. My grandparents (plant) trees all day.

3. When I got there, they (water) flowers for hours.

4. The Titanic (lie) on the sea bed for 70 years when they found it.

5. He was drunk. He (drink) whiskey.

6. Paul's head ached because he (sit) in the sun.

8. I was out of breath. I (run) for hours.

9. My brother had a black eye because he (fight).

10. Luke (practise) boxing since he was seven years old.

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. had been lying
2. had been planting
3.had been watering
4. had been lying
5. had been drinking
6. had been sitting
7.had been eating
8.had been running
9. had been fighting
10. had been practicing

Exercise 2. Choose the right time.

1. By the time I finished my language course, I ___ in Ireland for six years.

a) had been b) had been being

2. My parents ___ to find the blanket all evening.

a) had tried b) had been trying

3. You ___a terrible mistake.

a) had made b) had been made

4. Dad brought something that we___.

a) hadn't been asked b) hadn't asked

5.Someone___ all the windows open.

a) had been leaving b) had left

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1.a
2.b
3.a
4.b
5.b

Exercise 3. Put the verb in Past Perf. cont. or Past Perfect

1. Someone (cook) and (burn) the meal.

2. I (prepare) the party for five hours.

3. The kids (play) in the yard when it began to rain.

4. My mother (be) in hospital for the past three weeks.

5. I (practise) yoga since 2014.

6. My husband was tired. He (drive) all day.

7. What (you/do) when you wrote a letter?

8. It (rain) for hours and all the curtains (get) wet.

9. Her eyes are red. She (read) for about two hours.

10. I (already/phone) his mother when he came home.

Answers. Answers to the exercise:

1. had been cooking, had burnt
2. had been preparing
3.had been playing
4. had been
5.had been practicing
6.had been driving
7. had you been doing
8. had been raining, had got
9.had been reading
10. I had already phoned

Time Past Perf. cont. it is rare in English, but you still need to know how and where to use this not quite logical tense for Russian minds, but we are sure that you did it.

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