Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense is a verb tense that describes an action which started in the past and sustained (continued) before a particular time in the past.

The past perfect continuous tense describes an action which started in the past, continued for particular time in the past and also ended at particular time in the past. It has no relationship with the present as in present perfect continuous.

The past perfect continuous tense, according to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary, is defined as a tense form used to indicate “an action or a situation that continued for a period of time before another action or situation in the past.”

It is also called past perfect progressive tense.

When, for, since, and before are words that are used in past perfect continuous tense.

• I had been reading book before he arrived.
• He had been living in London since 2020.
• It had been raining for 2 hours when she left for airport.

How to form the Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Subject + had + been + first form of verb + ing.

“Had” is used with subject weather it is singular or plural.

• They had been playing cricket since morning.
• He had been waiting for 2 hours when I reached.
• She had been working whole day when she left.

Negative Form of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

To covert a past perfect continuous sentence into negative sentence following formula is used

Subject + had + not + been + first form of verb + ing.

• They had not been playing cricket since morning.
• He had not been waiting for 2 hours when I reached.
• She had not been working whole day when she left.

Interrogative Form of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

To create the interrogative sentence following formula is used.

Had + subject +been + first form of verb + ing.

• Had they been playing cricket since morning?
• Had he been waiting for 2 hours when I reached?
• Had she been working whole day when she left?

Contraction with Past Perfect Continuous Tense

We can contract the subject and the auxiliary verb in past perfect continuous as follows.

• I had been                 I'd been
• You had been            you'd been
• He had been              he'd been
• She had been            she'd been
• It had been                it'd been
• We had been             we'd been
• They had been          they'd been

 

Examples of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

• She had been cooking for one hour when the guests arrived.
• She had not been cooking for one hour when the guests arrived.
• Had she been cooking for one hour when the guests arrived?

 

• They had been playing cricket since morning.
• They had not been playing cricket since morning.
• Had they been playing cricket since morning?

• Aero plane had been flying for 5 hours before it landed.
• Aero plane had not been flying for 5 hours before it landed.
• Had aero plane been flying for 5 hours before it landed?