Past Perfect continous
We use the verb had and the past participle for the past perfect:
I had finished the work.
She had gone .
The past perfect continuous is formed with had been and the -ing form of the verb:
I had been finishing the work
She had been going.
The past perfect is used in the same way as the present perfect, but it refers to a time in the past,
not the present.
We use the past perfect tense:
• for something that started in the past and continued up to a given time in the past:
When George died he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.
She didn’t want to move. She had lived in Liverpool all her life.
We normally use the past perfect continuous for this:
She didn’t want to move. She had been living in Liverpool all her life.
Everything was wet. It had been raining for hours.
• for something we had done several times up to a point in the past and continued to do
after that point:
He was a wonderful guitarist. He had been playing ever since he was a teenager.
He had written three books and he was working on another one.
I had been watching the programme every week, but I missed the last episode.
We often use a clause with since to show when something started in the past:
They had been staying with us since the previous week.
I was sorry when the factory closed. I had worked there since I left school.
I had been watching that programme every week since it started, but I missed the last episode.
• when we are reporting our experience and including up to the (then) present:
My eighteenth birthday was the worst day I had ever had.
I was pleased to meet George. I hadn’t met him before, even though I had met his wife several
times.
• for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of reporting:
I couldn’t get into the house. I had lost my keys.

I was very tired when I arrived home. I’d been working hard all day.

Khi trở về nhà tôi đã rất mệt. Tôi đã làm việc vất vả cả ngày.

B Bạn có thể dùng thì past perfect continuous để diễn tả sự việc nào đó đã diễn ra (had been
happening) một trong khoảng thời gian trước khi một sự việc khác xảy ra:

Our game of tennis was interrupted. We’d been playing for about half an hour when it started to rain very
heavily.

Trận đấu quần vợt của chúng tôi đã bị ngưng lại. Chúng tôi đã chơi được nửa giờ trước khi trời
bắt đầu đổ mưa rất lớn.

Ken gave up smoking two years ago. He’d been smoking for 30 years.

Ken đã bỏ thuốc lá hai năm rồi. Trước đó anh ấy đã hút thuốc suốt 30 năm.

C Thì past perfect continuous (Had been -ing) là dạng quá khứ của thì present continuous.
I hope the bus comes soon. I’ve been waiting for 20 minutes. (before now).

Tôi hy vọng là xe buýt sẽ tới sớm. Tôi đã chờ 20 phút rồi (trước lúc này).

At last the bus came. I’d been waiting for minutes.

Cuối cùng xe buýt cũng đã tới. Tôi đã chờ trước đó hơn 20 phút rồi.

He’s out of breath. He has been running.

Anh ấy đang thở gấp. Anh ấy đã chạy nãy giờ.


The main use of the Past Perfect Continuous is to express actions or situations that were in
progress before some other actions or situations.
• The boys had been quarreling for half an hour when we arrived home.
• I had been dating Angelina for 3 years before we got married.
Use 2: Showing Cause
Use this tense to show cause of an action or situation in the past.
• John was in a detention because he had been misbehaving.
• The road was wet because it had been raining.
• I had to go on a diet because I had been eating too much sugar.
• Jessica got sunburnt because she had been lying in the sun too long.
Use 3: Third Conditional
Remember that this tense is also used in third conditional sentences.
• If it hadn't been raining, we would have gone to the park.
Use 4: Reported Speech
This tense also appears in Reported speech.
• She said she knew Charlie had been lying to her.

EXERCISE 1:
Exercise on Past Perfect Progressive
Put the verbs into the correct form (past perfect progressive).
1. We (sleep) for 12 hours when he woke us up.
2. They (wait) at the station for 90 minutes when the train finally arrived.
3. We (look for) her ring for two hours and then we found it in the bathroom.
4. I (not / walk) for a long time, when it suddenly began to rain.
5. How long (learn / she) English before she went to London?
6. Frank Sinatra caught the flu because he (sing) in the rain too long.
7. He (drive) less than an hour when he ran out of petrol.
8. They were very tired in the evening because they (help) on the farm all day.
9. I (not / work) all day; so I wasn't tired and went to the disco at night.
10. They (cycle) all day so their legs were sore in the evening.

1. The waiter served something that we (not / order) .
2. He went to the country which he (not / visit) before.
3. She picked out the red dress, which she (not / wear) for ages.
4. He (not / swim) in the beach before that day.
5. His mother was angry because he (not / do) the shopping for her.
Complete the questions in past perfect simple.
1. (you / finish) your homework before you went to the cinema?
2. Why (you / not /clean) the bathroom before you took a bath?
3. (you / have) breakfast before you left the house?
4. (she / manage) to find a place to stay when she went to London?
5. Where (she / stay) before she moved to live with her friend?
Put the verbs into the correct form (past perfect or the simple past)
1. The storm (destroy) the house that they had built .
2. The children (clean) the blackboard they had used to do the mathematics exercise.
3. When she went out to play, she (do / already) her homework.
4. She (eat) all of the food that we had made .
5. He took off the jacket he (put on) before.
Put the verbs between brackets in the correct tense (past perfect simple or continuous.)
1. I (try) to get tickets for that play for months before my friend finally got them.
2. When I arrived at the theater, my friend (pick, already) up the tickets.
3. He was really angry because he (wait) for more than half an hour when I arrived.
4. When the play started, I (already, apologize) to my friend.
5. We (watch) the play when the lights went off.
Do the exercises below on the past perfect simple and continuous and click on the button to
check your answers.
(Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lesson on the past perfect simple and
continuous)
Write the past participle of the following irregular verbs.
1. speak - spoken
2. catch - caught

Put the verbs between brackets in the correct tense (past perfect simple or continuous.)
1. I (try) had been trying to get tickets for that play for months before my friend finally got
them.
2. When I arrived at the theater, he (pick, already) had already picked / 'd already picked up
the tickets.
3. He was really angry because he (wait) had been waiting for more than half an hour when I
arrived.
4. When the play started, I (already, apologize) had already apologized / 'd already apologized
to my friend.
5. We (watch) had been watching / 'd been watching the play when the lights went off.
Complete the sentences in the Past Perfect Progressive.
1. Laura needed a break because she (study) all morning.
2. When Lorraine moved to England, she (learn) English for 12 years.
3. I did not go out last night because I (work) all day.
4. Orla felt fit for the marathon because she (exercise) a lot.
5. When I went to see Ms Winter, her secretary told me that she (speak) on the
phone for two hours.
6. You got sick because you (eat) all the time.
7. When the musician became director of the opera house, he (live) in this
town for ten years.
8. We (go) out together for two years before I met his family.
9. The passengers (wait) for four hours before the ground staff could finally
give them information on the delay of their flight.
10. When I noticed my mistake, I (drive) for an hour in the wrong direction.
Complete the sentences in the Past Perfect Progressive.
1. Laura needed a break because she had been studying all morning.
2. When Lorraine moved to England, she had been learning English for 12 years.
3. I did not go out last night because I had been working all day.
4. Orla felt fit for the marathon because she had been exercising a lot.
5. When I went to see Ms Winter, her secretary told me that she had been speaking on the

10. Our forces _______ in that area until two weeks before then. (not fight)
Answers:
1. had been studying/entered
2. started/managed
3. had been building/wasn’t
4. hadn’t been feeling
5. saw/had been talking
6. had been solving
7. had/been driving/occurred
8. had been playing/began
9. Had/been jogging/fainted
10. hadn’t been fighting
Past Perfect Continuous examples

had + been + verb + -ing

We had been running.
Past Perfect Continuous: Fill in the correct form of the verb.

The pupils at the computers all morning. (to sit)
Emily for an hour already. (to run)
The Johnsons in Cardiff. (to live)
She German at school. (to learn)
At six o´clock he the dog for a walk. (to take)
The Past Perfect Continuous
Practice 1: Complete these sentences with the word(s) in brackets using the past perfect
continuous. Remember to use contractions ("I'd" not "I had") where possible.
1. He was sad because all day. (it, rain)
2. I thought that English for years. (she, study)
3. I knew that my shampoo. (he, use)

8 When they cancelled the flight to Alicante, the storm _____________________________________ all
afternoon with no sign of abating. ( rage )
10. B Fill the gaps with the verb in brackets using the past continuous or the past perfect
continuous.
1 When I asked Carlos if he wanted to go out, he said he couldn't because he
_____________________________________ an assignment. ( finish )
2 Scarlett came into the room panting. She _____________________________________ round the
park. ( jog )
3
Scarlett wasn't in. She _____________________________________ around the park. ( jog )
4 I _____________________________________ a bath when I suddenly had a great idea. ( have )
5 He told me he _________________________ seriously _________________________ about finding
another job soon. ( think )
6 He _____________________________________ about finding a new job for about a year before he
finally got round to it. He´s happy now. ( think )
7 It was obvious from her outrageous behaviour that _____________________________________.
( drink )
8 I _____________________________________ a latte in the Café New York, when I saw a famous
actor walk past the window. ( drink )
A
1 When the student revolution came, I had been working there for 6 months.
2 Before Jim finally decided to go to Thailand, he had been thinking about it for months.
3 They had eaten all the chocolate cake by the time Michael got to the party.
4 I had met Scarlett Johansson on three previous occasions. Lucky me!
5 The forensic evidence shows that he had been picking his nose just before he was murdered.
6 When the doctor told him his liver was seriously bad, he had been eating hamburgers for a month.
7 Prior to the explosion, the fat man had eaten seven large chocolate cakes.
8 When they cancelled the flight to Alicante, the storm had been raging all afternoon with no sign of
abating.
B

since
• 6) I am an English student; I have been studying English ___ 2007.
since
just
for
• 7) The builders are very efficient; they have ___ finished the foundations for our
house.
yet
already
since
• 8) I have ___ three ice-creams today.
eaten
eating
been eating
• 9) Katie must be around here somewhere, I have ___ seen her.
just
yet
since