Grammar

Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous describes an activity that had been in progress for a period before another past event. It often explains the cause or background of a later past situation.

Post

Level B2 Tenses

Summary

The past perfect continuous describes an activity that had been in progress for a period before another past event. It often explains the cause or background of a later past situation.

Structure

had been + verb-ing (+ for/since + duration) + past reference

Examples

She was exhausted because she had been working all night.
They had been arguing for an hour before he finally left.
The ground was wet; it had been raining.
How long had you been waiting when the bus came?

Common mistakes

• Using it with stative verbs: 'I had been wanting' is usually better as 'I had wanted'.
• Dropping 'been': 'had working' should be 'had been working'.

More tenses

Present Simple A1

Use the present simple for facts, habits, routines, and things that are generally true. Add -s/-es to the verb with he, she, and it.

Present Continuous A1

Use the present continuous for actions happening now, around the present time, or for temporary situations. It is also used for fixed future arrangements.

Use the past simple for completed actions at a definite time in the past. Regular verbs add -ed; many common verbs are irregular.

Future with 'Going To' A2

Use 'going to' for plans and intentions decided before now, and for predictions based on present evidence.

Future with 'Will' A2

Use 'will' for predictions, instant decisions made at the moment of speaking, promises, and offers.

Past Continuous B1

Use the past continuous for an action in progress at a moment in the past, often interrupted by a shorter past simple action, or for two parallel ongoing actions.

External links

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