THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We form past perfect continuous:

Subject+HAD+BEEN+Verb (continuous form)

e.g. he, she, a dog,etc.e.g. walking, going, taking,etc.

The Past Perfect Continuous is used to talk about actions or situations that were in progress before some other actions or situations. There are also other uses.

1. Duration of a past action up to a certain point in the past
2. Showing cause of an action or situation
3. Third conditional sentences
4. Reported speech

Use 1: Duration of a Past Action

The main use of the Past Perfect Continuous is to express actions or situations that were in progress before some other actions or situations.

• The boys had been quarreling for half an hour when we arrived home.
• I had been dating Angelina for 3 years before we got married.

Use 2: Showing Cause

Use this tense to show cause of an action or situation in the past.

• John was in a detention because he had been misbehaving.
• The road was wet because it had been raining.
• I had to go on a diet because I had been eating too much sugar.
• Jessica got sunburnt because she had been lying in the sun too long.

Use 3: Third Conditional

Remember that this tense is also used in third conditional sentences.

• If it hadn't been raining, we would have gone to the park.

Use 4: Reported Speech

This tense also appears in Reported speech.

• She said she knew Charlie had been lying to her.

Exercise 1. Make the past perfect continuous positive:

A.

1. I _______________________________ (work) all day, so I didn’t want to go out.

2. She _______________________________ (sleep) for ten hours when I woke her.

3. They _______________________________ (live) in Beijing for three years when

he lost his job.

4. When we met, you _______________________________ (work) at that company

for six months.

5. We _______________________________ (eat) all day, so we felt a bit ill.

6. He was red in the face because he _______________________________ (run).

7. It _______________________________ (rain), and the road was covered in water.

8. I was really tired because I _______________________________ (study).

9. We _______________________________ (go) out for three years when we got

married.

10. It _______________________________ (snow) for three days.

B.

1. We (sleep) for 12 hours when he woke us up.
2. They (wait) at the station for 90 minutes when the train finally arrived.
3. We (look for) her ring for two hours and then we found it in the bathroom.
4. I (not / walk) for a long time, when it suddenly began to rain.
5. How long (learn / she) English before she went to London?
6. Frank Sinatra caught the flu because he (sing) in the rain too long.
7. He (drive) less than an hour when he ran out of petrol.
8. They were very tired in the evening because they (help) on the farm all day.
9. I (not / work) all day; so I wasn't tired and went to the disco at night.
10. They (cycle) all day so their legs were sore in the evening.

Exercise 2. Put the questions to the following sentences in the PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS:

1. They (chat) for over 2 hours.
2. I (wait) there for ages.
3. Brianna (sit) there for 20 minutes before the doctor (call) her name.
4. You (work) there for several years before you (quit) your job.
5. They (jog) for a while before they (get) tired.
6. I (wait) for the bus for 10 minutes when it (arrive).
7. She (want) to rest a bit because she (clean) the whole day.
8. Alex (play) golf for many years before he (retire).
9. Susan (be) hungry because she (fast) the whole day.

10. Anna (fail) the exam because she (skip) classes.

11 I (work) on my book for a year when I (publish) it.

12. You (pass) the test because you (study) very well.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1395