Formula – Past perfect continuous example
The formula for the past perfect continuous is divided into 4 forms, respectively: affirmative, negative, interrogative, and question form containing the question word.
Affirmation Formula
|
Subject/Personal pronoun |
Formula |
|
I, you |
I, you + had + been + V-ing |
|
He, she, it |
He, she, it + had + been + V-ing |
|
We, you, they |
We, you, they + had + been + V-ing |
Eg:
They have been watching cricket since morning. (They have been watching cricket since morning.)
She had been reading a novel for a couple of months. (She read a novel for several months.)
He had been traveling to Paris for many years. (He has been traveling to Paris for many years.)
It had been raining very hard for two hours before it stopped. (It rained heavily for two hours before it stopped.)
They had been working very hard before we came. (They worked really hard before we arrived.)
We had been playing video games for five hours. (We played video games for five hours.)
She had been cooking food for two years. (She has been cooking for two years.)
They have been watching movies since morning. (They have been watching movies since morning.)
John had been losing weight before he was an accident. (John had lost weight before the accident.)
I have been reading books for five months. (I read the book for five months.)
We had been running along the street for about 60 minutes when a motorbike suddenly stopped right in front of us. (We had just been running on the street for about 60 minutes when a motorbike suddenly stopped right in front of us.)
Yesterday, my brother said he had been stopping smoking for three months. (Yesterday, my brother said that he has stopped smoking for three months.)
Someone had been painting the room because the smell of the paint was very strong when I got into the room. (Someone painted the room because the smell of paint was very strong when I entered the room.)
They had been talking on the mobile phone when the rain poured down. (They were talking on the phone when it started to rain.)
The woman had been paying for her new car in cash. (The woman paid cash for her new car.)
I had been having lunch by the time the others came into the restaurant. (I had lunch by the time the others entered the restaurant.)
It had been raining for three days before the storm came yesterday. (It had been raining for three days before the storm arrived yesterday.)
Mary had been walking three miles a day before her leg was broken. (Marry was walking three miles a day before breaking her leg.)
She had been making soup, so it was still hot and steamy when the visitors came in. (She was making soup, so it was still hot and smoking when guests came in.)
Sam gained weight because he had been overeating. (Sam gained weight from eating too much.)
Negative formula
|
Subject/Personal pronoun |
Formula |
|
I, you |
I/ you + hadn’t + been + V-ing |
|
He, she, it |
He/ she/ it + hadn’t + been + V-ing |
|
We, you, they |
We/ you/ they + hadn’t + been + V-ing |
My father hadn’t been doing anything when my mother came home. (My father didn’t do anything when my mother got home.)
They hadn’t been talking to each other when we saw them. (They weren’t talking to each other when we saw them.)
We hadn’t been provided free clothes for many years. (We haven’t been given free clothes in years.)
I hadn’t been feeling well, so I sent him away. (I wasn’t feeling well, so I sent him away.)
Simon hadn’t been expecting a positive answer when he got a job. (Simon didn’t expect a positive answer when he got a job.)
The hikers hadn’t been walking long before they got lost. (The hikers had not gone long before they got lost.)
He hasn’t been laughing loudly since little age. (He hasn’t laughed since he was a kid.)
Carry hasn’t been running a ten-kilometer for a young age. (Carry didn’t run ten kilometers when he was young.)
He hasn’t been calling your clients for two years. (He hasn’t called your client in two years.)
I haven’t been doing a job at a young age. (I didn’t have a job when I was young.)
Henry failed the final test because she hadn’t been attending class. (Henry failed the final test because she didn’t attend the class.)
I hadn’t been sleeping because of the final essay. (I didn’t sleep because of the last essay.)
My mother hadn’t been going to work for two days because she was very ill. (My mother did not go to work for two days because she was very ill.)
The teacher hadn’t been reprimanding him when he didn’t turn in his homework on time. (The teacher didn’t reprimand him when he didn’t turn in his homework on time.)
Tom hadn’t been picking up his brother after school. (Tom didn’t come pick up his brother after school.)
Interrogative formula (Yes/No question)
|
Subject/Personal pronoun |
Formula |
|
I, you |
Had + I, you + been + V-ing ? |
|
He, she, it |
Had + He, she, it + been + V-ing ? |
|
We, you, they |
Had + We, you, they + been + V-ing ? |
Had they been waiting for me when you met them? (They were waiting for me when you met them?)
Had she been watching TV for 4 hours before she went to eat dinner? (Did she watch TV 4 hours before going to dinner?)
Had he been drinking when you found him? (He was drinking when you found him?)
Had the manager been complaining about Jim before she fired him? (Did the manager complain about Jim before she fired him?)
Hadn’t the snow been falling for hours before then? (Didn’t it snow a few hours before?)
Had they been playing sports before I got home? (Do they play sports before I get home?)
Had you been going somewhere before returning home? (Did you go somewhere before coming home?)
Had she been loving our children since birth? (Did she love our children from birth?)
Had you been leasing a podcast for three weeks? (Have you rented a podcast for three weeks?)
Had they been using an iPhone for two years? (Have they been using an iPhone for two years?)
Had she been reading a novel for a couple of months? (She read a novel in a few months?)
Hadn’t we been provided free clothes for many years? (Haven’t we been given free clothes for years?)
Had you been surfing the internet for an hour? (Have you been surfing the internet for an hour?)
Had Temple been opening morning for decades? (Temple has been open in the morning for decades?)
Had you been learning English for two years? (Have you studied English for two years?)
Question formula with question words WH question
|
Subject/Personal pronoun |
Formula |
|
I, you |
Wh + had + I, you + been +Ving? |
|
He, she, it |
Wh + had + He, she, it + been +Ving? |
|
We, you, they |
Wh + had + We, you, they + been +Ving? |
Eg:
What had you been doing when you cut your finger? (What did you do when you broke your finger?)
Which fax message had you been trying to send when the power went off? (What fax message did you try to send during the power outage?)
How long had he been waiting? (How long has he been waiting?)
What had you been doing for 1 hour before you went to sleep last night? (What did you do during the hour before going to bed last night?)
What had you been doing when your mother scolded you for not doing the housework? (What did you do when your mother scolded you for not doing the housework?)
What had she been doing when her boss yelled at her for being late for work? (What did she do when her boss yelled at her for being late for work?)
What had he been doing when his wife was away and had to take care of the children alone? (What did he do when his wife was away and had to take care of the children alone?)
What had you been doing when you just passed the university entrance exam? (What did you do when you just passed the university entrance exam?)
How long had she been waiting for the bus to arrive? (How long has she been waiting for the bus to arrive?)
What had you been doing your dog was sick? (What did you do when your dog was sick?)
30+ examples of past perfect continuous using
The past perfect continuous is used in many different cases, each specific case will have its own usage. Here are three uses of the past perfect continuous:
Used to describe an action that happened continuously before another action in the past
They had been playing football on that field before it started to rain. (They were playing on that field before it started to rain.)
Yesterday, when I got up, it was snowing. It had been snowing for three hours. (Yesterday, when I woke up, it was snowing. It snowed for three hours.)
He and his wife had been talking for about two hours before the policemen arrived. (He and his wife were talking for about two hours before the police arrived.)
Hannah had been running five kilometers a day before she got sick. (Hannah was walking five kilometers a day before she got sick.)
The couple had been quarreling for 1 hour before their daughter came back home. (The couple argued for an hour before the daughter came home.)
The student had been waiting in the meeting room for almost an hour before he was punished. (The student waited almost an hour in the conference room before being punished.)
I had been waiting for 20 minutes when I realized that I was in the wrong restaurant. (I waited for 20 minutes when I realized I had gone to the wrong restaurant.)
We had been shopping in that shop before we came home. (We did some shopping at that store before going home.)
I had been helping him to do the task before I started the program. (I helped him with the quest before I started the show.)
The lyricist had been writing realistic songs since the beginning of his career. (Lyricist has been writing realistic songs since the beginning of his career.)
Used to describe an action that was happening continuously before a definite time in the past
His son had been driving for five hours before 9pm last night. (His son was driving for five hours before 9 p.m. last night.)
I had been thinking about that before you mentioned it. (I was still thinking about that before you mentioned it.)
I had been practicing for five months and was ready for the championship. (I’ve been practicing for 5 months and getting ready for the championship.)
Willis had been studying hard and felt good about the Spanish test he was about to take. (Willis studied very hard and feels very good about the Spanish test he took.)
Anna and Mark had been falling in love for 5 years and prepared for a wedding. (Anna and Mark have been together for 5 years and are preparing for a wedding.)
She had been walking for 2 hours before 11pm last night. (She walked for 2 hours by 9pm last night.)
My younger brother had been crying for almost 1 hour before lunchtime. (My brother cried for an hour before lunch.)
At the time the factory closed down, Sarad had been working there for five years. (By the time the factory closed, Sarad had worked there for five years.)
The orchestra had been playing for about ten minutes when a man in the audience started shouting. (The orchestra had been playing for about ten minutes when a man in the stands started shouting.)
I had been walking along the road for about ten minutes when a car suddenly stopped just behind me. (I was walking down the street for about ten minutes when a car suddenly stopped right behind me.)
Used to emphasize actions left in the past
James gained three kilograms because he had been overeating. (James gained three pounds because he was overeating.)
Barry didn’t pass the exam because he hadn’t been paying attention to what the teacher said. (Barry didn’t pass the test because he didn’t pay attention to what the teacher said.)
Betty failed the final test because she hadn’t been attending class. (Betty failed her final exam because she didn’t attend class.)
Yesterday morning, he was exhausted because he had been working on his report all night. (Yesterday morning, he was exhausted from doing reports all night.)
By the time Sam found an umbrella, it had been raining for ten minutes. (By the time Sam found an umbrella, it had been raining for ten minutes.)
The client had been waiting for an hour by the time Catherine got to the office. (The customer had been waiting for an hour by the time Catherine arrived at the office.)
By the time we were at the party, they had been eating all the food. (By the time we had the party, they had already eaten all the food.)
By the time we reach home, darkness had been falling. (By the time we got home, darkness had fallen.)
Someone had been painting the room because the smell of the paint was very strong when I got into the room. (Someone painted the room because the smell of paint was very strong when I entered the room.)
We had been running along the street for about 40 minutes when a car suddenly stopped right in front of us. (We had been running along the street for about 40 minutes when a car suddenly stopped right in front of us.)
For example the past perfect continuous with a special structure
The past perfect continuous can be used in type 3 conditional sentences to express unreal conditions in the past.
If we had been successfully working together, we would have been successfully working together.
(If we could still work together effectively, we would have succeeded.)
She would have been more confident if she had been preparing better.
If you had gone home earlier, you could have been joining that festival last Sunday. (If you got home earlier, you might be in for the festival this past Sunday.)
If I had not been working the whole week, I would have traveled with them. (If I hadn’t worked during the week, I would have traveled with them).
If it hadn’t been raining the whole week, I would have finished the laundry. (If it hadn’t rained all week, I would have finished washing my clothes.)
If I hadn’t been leaving yesterday, I would have met my grandmother. (If I hadn’t gone yesterday, I would have met my grandmother.)
If he hadn’t been eating all day yesterday, he must have had an upset stomach. (If he hadn’t eaten all day yesterday, he must have had a stomach ache.)
If I hadn’t been getting the job done, I was reprimanded by my boss. (If I didn’t get the job done, I was reprimanded by my boss.)
If she hadn’t been giving birth soon, we’d certainly had a lot of trips together. (If she hadn’t given birth soon, we would have traveled a lot together.)
If he hasn’t been cheating, his family will be happy for sure. (If he didn’t cheat, his family would surely be happy.)
Above is an article about an example of the past perfect continuous, hopefully Monkey has brought readers useful knowledge about basic English grammar.
Johnny Jacks was born in 1985 in Texas, USA. He is the founder of Good Health Plan and is passionate about helping people improve their health and physical well-being. With over a decade of experience working in the healthcare industry, he currently works at Goodheathplan.com – a blog that shares knowledge on beauty and health.