The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions that were ongoing in the past up until another action or point in time. It helps to emphasize the duration of an activity that was happening before something else occurred.
Structure
The past perfect continuous is formed using the past perfect of the verb "to be" (had been) and the present participle (verb + ing). The structure is:
Subject + had been + present participle
This structure highlights that the action was in progress for some time before another past event.
Examples with Explanations
1. She had been studying for hours before the exam started.
Here, "had been studying" indicates that the action of studying was ongoing for a duration before the exam began.
2. They had been playing football for two hours when it started raining.
The phrase "had been playing" shows that the activity of playing football continued for two hours before the rain began.
3. I had been living in New York for five years when I got a job offer in California.
"Had been living" signifies that the action of living in New York was ongoing for five years before the job offer came.
4. The children had been sleeping for a few hours by the time their parents came home.
In this sentence, "had been sleeping" indicates the children were in the middle of sleeping for a few hours before their parents arrived.
5. He had been working on the project all night before he finally completed it.
"Had been working" shows that the action of working on the project was continuous throughout the night before it was finished.
Past Perfect Continuous: Negatives
The negative form of the past perfect continuous is formed by adding "not" after "had". The structure is:
Subject + had not been + present participle
Examples of Negatives with Explanations
1. She had not been studying before the exam started.
Here, "had not been studying" indicates the action of studying did not occur before the exam began.
2. They had not been playing football when it started raining.
The phrase "had not been playing" shows that the activity of playing football was not happening when the rain began.
3. I had not been living in New York for long when I got a job offer in California.
"Had not been living" signifies that the action of living in New York was not ongoing for a long time before the job offer came.
4. The children had not been sleeping when their parents came home.
In this sentence, "had not been sleeping" indicates the children were not in the middle of sleeping when their parents arrived.
5. He had not been working on the project when he realized he needed more information.
"Had not been working" shows that the action of working on the project was not occurring when he realized he needed more information.
Past Perfect Continuous: Questions
To form questions in the past perfect continuous, invert the subject and "had". The structure is:
Had + subject + been + present participle?
Examples of Questions with Explanations
1. Had she been studying before the exam started?
This question asks whether the action of studying was ongoing before the exam began.
2. Had they been playing football when it started raining?
The question inquires if the activity of playing football was happening when the rain began.
3. Had I been living in New York for long when I got a job offer in California?
This question asks whether the action of living in New York was ongoing for a long time before the job offer came.
4. Had the children been sleeping when their parents came home?
This question inquires if the children were in the middle of sleeping when their parents arrived.
5. Had he been working on the project all night before he finally completed it?
The question asks if the action of working on the project was continuous throughout the night before it was finished.
Exceptions
Generally, the past perfect continuous is straightforward, but there are a few points to note:
Stative Verbs
Some verbs, known as stative verbs, typically aren't used in continuous tenses. Examples include "know", "believe", "belong", etc. Instead of saying "I had been knowing him for years," you would say "I had known him for years".
Contextual Clarity
Ensure the context makes it clear that one action was ongoing before another. For example, "She had been reading when I called" is clear, while "She had been reading" might need additional context.