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Past Perfect Continuous Tense: Usage and Useful Examples

Past Perfect Continuous Tense: Usage and Useful Examples

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Past Perfect Continuous Tense! In this lesson, you will learn the usage and example sentences of Past Perfect Progressive in English.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure:

  • Affirmative (+):           S + had been + V-ing + O.
  • Negative (-):                  S+ hadn’t been + V-ing+ O.
  • Interrogative (?):       Had + S + been V-ing + O ?

Usage

  • Past Perfect Continuous Tense indicates a past action which started in the past and continued to happen after another action and time in the past.
  • Namely, Past Perfect Continuous Tense tell us “how long the action had continued”. ” the duration of the action”  is emphasized more in this tense.

EXAMPLES WITH THE VERB “RUN”

Affirmative (+) 

  • I had been running.
  • You had been running.
  • He had been running.
  • She had been running.
  • It had been running.
  • They had been running.
  • We had been running.

Negative (-)

  • I hadn’t been running.
  • You hadn’t been running.
  • He hadn’t been running.
  • She hadn’t been running.
  • It hadn’t been running.
  • They hadn’t been running.
  • We hadn’t been running.

Interrogative (?)

  • Had I been running?
  • Had you been running?
  • Had he been running?
  • Had she been running?
  • Had It been running?
  • Had they been running?
  • Had we been running?

Past Perfect Progressive | Infographic

Past Perfect Continuous Tense: Usage and Useful Examples