Past Perfect Continuous Tense: Definition, Formula, Rules, Examples, Practice Exercise with Answers

In English Grammar, the Past Perfect Continuous tense falls under the Past Tense to describe a past event that started, continued for a specific time and ended before another past event. Have a look at the flow chart of Tenses in English below to understand where the Past Perfect Continuous lies:

Past Perfect Continuous Tense in English

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense has four different forms, namely Affirmative (had been), Negative (had not been), Interrogative (had been +?) and Negative + Interrogative (Had not been +?). These forms are explained in detail below with examples for the ease of readers.

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As per the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the Past Perfect Continuous Tense is defined as, “an action or a situation that continued for a period of time before another action or situation in the past. This action may or may not have continued up to the moment we are talking about it.”

As per the Cambridge Dictionary, the Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to describe “actions or events which started before a particular time in the past and were still in progress up to that time in the past.”

Pronunciation: /pɑːst ˈpɜː.fekt ˈkənˈtɪn.ju.əs/

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The Past Perfect Continuous Tense formula informs about the structure of sentences in this tense form. Have a look at the formula below:

A few Past Perfect Continuous Tense examples are shared below to give more clarity on this structure:                                                                    

• I had been working on a new project the night before.
• Aisha had been staying with her friend when she used to work here.
• We had all been waiting for our appraisal letters the day before.
• The sun had been shining well when it rained suddenly.
• The maid was fired as she had been taking leave.

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We have shared below the rules on how to use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense along with the examples:

Rule 1: The Past perfect continuous tense is used to describe events which started in the past and were still in progress or continuity up to some point in the past. For example:

• She had been reading an amazing book when she decided to go solo travelling.
• Cinderella had been singing songs the night when the prince heard her.

Rule 2: This tense is also used to talk about events which began before a particular time in the past, continued and got finished, but caused another action in the past: For example:

• It had been raining continuously, and the playground was still wet.
• Yohan was exhausted as he had been working day and night for a few weeks.

Rule 3: It is used with words that convey information about time, namely, for, since, when, and before. For example:

• Nathan had been studying for hours when he fell ill.
• The team had been practising for the match since last Friday.

Rule 4: Past Perfect Continuous can be used with negative adjectives (no), negative pronouns (nothing) and negative adverbs (rarely, barely, nowhere, etc.) to make negative forms of sentences. For example:

Past Perfect Continuous Tense Examples

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There are four forms of Past Perfect Continuous Tense in English Grammar, including Affirmative, Negative, Interrogative and Negative + Interrogative. Have a look at the explanation of the Past Perfect Continuous forms with examples below, along with their formulas:

Forms of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

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Have a look at the 10 Past Perfect Continuous Tense examples below:

1. Before she broke her leg, she had been walking for an hour a day.
2. The baby had been drinking milk from the bottle since his birth.
3. This program had not been working before it was terminated.
4. Had they been living in this country when the war happened?
5. I had not been travelling much for a few years.
6. Raisha had been throwing tantrums before her mother entered the room.
7. We had not been eating junk at all for the last two weeks.
8. Archie had been reading the ‘Harry Potter’ series novels before she found out about ‘A Game of Thrones’.
9. Had the team been exercising all day before the match?
10. The passengers had been waiting for the doors to open before the train stopped abruptly.

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To have command over English Tenses, one must learn the Past Perfect Continuous Tense. The Past Perfect Continuous Tense books are one of the best ways to know about the tense, its rules, usage and examples. Have a look at some best Past Perfect Continuous books below:

These books will also help students in their preparations for CBSE board exams and Government jobs exams such as SSC GD Constable exam, RRB exams and others.

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