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Past Perfect Continuous Tense
 
 
 
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Past Perfect Continuous Tense in English Grammar

What is Past Perfect Continuous Tense?

"Past Perfect Continuous Tense represents an action that started, continued and ended after some time in the past."

In English language, Past Perfect Continuous is used to express an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued until another time in the past.

Basic Structure of Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

• Structure for Past Perfect Continuous •

Subject Auxiliary verb Auxiliary verb Main verb
subject had been base + ing
I had been going to college.

• Structure for Negative sentence •

Subject Auxiliary verb Auxiliary verb Main verb
subject had not + been base + ing
I had not been going to college.

• Structure for interrogative sentence •

Auxiliary verb Subject Auxiliary verb Main verb
had subject been base + ing
Had you been going to college?

We normally use the past perfect continuous tense to:

• express an action began before past and continued until another time in the past.
• expresses longer actions in the past.

USES OF PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time:

The Past Perfect Continuous is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time:

Examples:
  • • Everything was wet. It had been raining for hours.
  • • Sachin was angry. He had been waiting for two hours.
  • • At that time he had been writing a novel for two months.
  • • When Mr. Mukherji came to the school in 1965, Mr. Anand had already been teaching there for five years.
To expresses longer actions in the past:

The Past perfect continuous tense is like the past perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions in the past before another action in the past.

Example:
  • • Milkha was very tired. He had been running.
  • • Had the driver been drinking before the accident?
  • • I could smell cigarettes. Somebody had been smoking.
  • • She had been studying for hours before the exam started.
To show cause and effect of another past action:

Using the Past perfect continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect.

Example:
  • • Peter was tired because he had been running.
  • • He was tired because he had been working all night.
  • • Rohan gained weight because he had been overeating.
  • • Simran failed the final test because she had not been attending class.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE TABLE
Past Perfect Continuous Tense Table
AFFIRMATIVE
  • I had been going.
  • You had been going.
  • We had been going.
  • He/She had been going.
  • They had been going.
NEGATIVE
  • I had not been going.
  • You had not been going.
  • We had not been going.
  • He/She had not been going.
  • They had not been going.
INTERROGATIVE
  • Had I been going?
  • Had you been going?
  • Had we been going?
  • Had he/she been going?
  • Had they been going?

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