Using Past Perfect Continuous Tense, Definitions and Examples. Follow the list for detailed expressions;
The tenses simply show the time of an action.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
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.
POSITIVE FORM (+) : Subject + HAD BEEN + Ving
NEGATIVE FORM (-) : Subject + HAD + NOT + BEEN ( HADN’T BEEN ) + Ving
QUESTION FORM (?) : HAD+ Subject + BEEN + Ving
NEGATIVE QUESTION FORM (?) : HAD + NOT + Subject + BEEN + Ving
POSITIVE(+) | NEGATIVE(-) | POSITIVE QUESTION (?) |NEGATIVE QUESTION (?)
POSITIVE(+) | NEGATIVE(-) | POSITIVE QUESTION (?) | NEGATIVE QUESTIONS (?) |
---|---|---|---|
I had been watching | I had not ( hadn’t) been watching | Had I been watching | Had not / Hadn’t I been watching |
You had been watching | You had not ( hadn’t) been watching | Had you been watching | Had not / Hadn’t you been watching |
He had been watching | He had not ( hadn’t) been watching | Had he been watching | Had not / Hadn’t he been watching |
She had been watching | She had not ( hadn’t) been watching | Had she been watching | Had not / Hadn’t she been watching |
It had been watching | It had not ( hadn’t) been watching | Had it been watching | Had not / Hadn’t it been watching |
We had been watching | We had not ( hadn’t) been watching | Had we been watching | Had not / Hadn’t we been watching |
You had been watching | You had not ( hadn’t) been watching | Had you been watching | Had not / Hadn’t you been watching |
They had been watching | They had not ( hadn’t) been watching | Had they been watching | Had not / Hadn’t they been watching |
CONTRACTIONS:
For “HAD”;
had –> ‘d Ex: I‘d been watching.
had not –> hadn’t Ex: I hadn’t been watching.
Common Tense Markers:
For / Since / All day / The whole day
Examples:
Note:
We use other question words ( Like Who, What, Why , etc.) in past perfect continuous tense.
Question Words (who, what, why, etc.) + had + subject + been V3
Examples:
USING OF PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE:
1. Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express the past action, already started and continued to happen after another action or time in the past.
( In such sentenses, it is emphasized how long the action has continued.)
( Past Perfect Continuous Tense shows that the action was not completed ( the event continued to happen ) )
Examples:
2. An event which finished just before another past event. Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express the cause of the second event.
Examples:
3. Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used in reported speech.
( In reported speech, Past Perfect Tense is used instead of ” Past Continuous Tense and Present Perfect Continuous Tense in direct speech ” )
Examples:
For Differences Between Past Perfect Tense and Past Perfect Continuous Tense click here
For Differences Between Past Continuous Tense and Past Perfect Continuous Tense click here
For Past Perfect Tense click here
Attention:
“Past Perfect Continuous Tense” is not used with “stative verbs ( non-progressive verbs )”.
( We use “Past Perfect Tense” instead of “Past Perfect Continuous Tense” when stative verbs are used in a sentence )
Examples:
Zoom Verb 1 2 3, Past and Past Participle Form Tense of Zoom V1 V2…
Zinc Verb 1 2 3, Past and Past Participle Form Tense of Zinc V1 V2…
Yield Verb 1 2 3, Past and Past Participle Form Tense of Yield V1 V2…
Yell Verb 1 2 3, Past and Past Participle Form Tense of Yell V1 V2…
Yawn Verb 1 2 3, Past and Past Participle Form Tense of Yawn V1 V2…
Write Verb 1 2 3, Past and Past Participle Form Tense of Write V1 V2…