Past perfect continuous tense

Sakshi Education

Let us review how other variations of past tense function

Structure [had been+ verb+ ing]
Simple past tells about an action that completes at some time in the past.

I went to a movie yesterday.
Past continuous talks about an action that was going on at a time in the past.
She was cooking when I went there.
Past perfect talks about two actions that took place in the past. One was completed earlier and the second later.
When I entered the room the exam had started.
Two actions are there.
1. myself entering the room ( later completed)
2. Exam being started. (earlier completed)
Past perfect
Past perfect continuous tells about something that was in progress in the past for a certain period.
- When I met him in 1990 he had been working there for 5 years.
  (I am talking about something what happened in 1990. At that time he had been working for 5 years. But not now)
- He had been waiting there for two hours by the time she arrived.
Observe the difference between present perfect continuous and past perfect continuous
- He has been working here since 1990. Or
- He has been working here for 10 years. (He has been still working to the present moment)
Difference between past continuous and past perfect continuous
- Usually we do not mention either period of time or point of time in the past while using past continuous. The emphasis will be on the continuation of work/ action at a particular moment of time in the past. She was painting when I went there.
- But in past perfect continuous either period of time or point of time in the past is mentioned to show the action that was in progress not at the moment of speaking but somewhere in the past. He was tired because had been working for long.
It also expresses cause and effect
He was tired because he had been running for long time.

Some verbs do not carry –ing form. They have to be used only with past participle.
We were good friends. We had known to each other for years.

Practice:
- When I went home last Sunday, my son ……………..( watch) TV for an hour.
- At last the bus came. I ……… (wait) for 20 minutes.
Answers
- When I went home last Sunday, my son had been watching TV for an hour.
- At last the bus came. I had been waiting for 20 minutes.