Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Definition:
The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that started in the past, continued for some time, and was still in progress up until another specific point in the past. It emphasizes the duration of the action that was ongoing before a past event.
Usage of “For” and “Since”:
- For is used with a period of time (e.g., two hours, five days, a long time).
- Since is used with a specific point in time (e.g., morning, 2010, Monday).
1. Affirmative Sentence
Structure: Subject + had been + verb(-ing) + object.
- She had been studying English for three years before she moved to London.
- He had been living here since 2010 until he got a new job last month.
- They had been playing soccer for an hour when it started to rain.
- I had been working on the project all morning before you called.
2. Negative Sentence
Structure: Subject + had not been + verb(-ing) + object.
- He had not been working since morning; he had just arrived.
- She had not been sleeping well before the exam.
- We had not been traveling for long when the car broke down.
- They had not been waiting long before the bus finally came.
3. Interrogative Sentence
Structure: Had + subject + been + verb(-ing) + object?
- Had they been playing football for an hour before the referee stopped the game?
- Had she been waiting since noon before her appointment at 4 PM?
- Had he been working on that assignment before he decided to ask for help?
- Had you been feeling unwell before you fainted?
4. Negative Interrogative Sentence
Structure: Had + subject + not been + verb(-ing) + object?
- Had she not been waiting since yesterday for those results?
- Had you not been studying for three hours before you took the break?
- Had he not been attending the meetings
- before he was removed from the project?
- Had they not been cleaning the house for hours before the guests arrived?
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Present Indefinite Tense (Simple Present Tense)
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
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