We form the ‘past perfect continuous’ using: had been + verb ‘ing’
I had been studying very hard.
They had been renovating their house.
My parents and I had been arguing.
We use the past perfect continuous, to speak about a longer/continued action before another past action.
Let’s take a look at a few examples:
It’s clear that the ‘ing’ form is speaking about a longer/continued action.
More examples:
I was so happy to move into my own apartment because I had been living with my parents for six months.
(It’s clear that you were living with your parents for a continued period before you moved into your own apartment.)
I woke up and saw that the ground was completely covered in snow. I didn’t realise that it had been snowing.
(It’s clear that it was snowing for a continued period before you woke up and looked out of the window.)
Hugh and I finally broke up. We had been arguing for months.
(It’s clear that the two of you were arguing for a long time before you broke up.)
The past perfect continuous must be used in combination with another past action.
The other past action can be in the same sentence, or in the context of the conversation.
In the same sentence:
The ground was really wet because it had been raining.
past simple + past perfect continuous
I was sweating like crazy because I had been working out.
past continuous + past perfect continuous
In context:
Jeff: Did you manage to contact the client?
Brenda: No, I couldn’t get through on the phone so I just sent them an email.
Jeff: But I specifically asked you to speak to them on the phone.
Brenda: Trust me, I had been trying to call them all morning.
(It’s clear that Brenda spent a long time trying to call the client before she sent the email.)
Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment!
Your teacher,
Arnel
