Introduction
Past Perfect Continuous tense is used to denote an action that started in the past that continued until a specific time in the past.
It is one of the forms of past tense and is also known as Past Perfect Progressive Tense.
In simpler words, it highlights an action that began in the past, continued in the past, and also ended at a particular point in the past.
Structure of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense
| Subject + had + been + present participle (verb+ing) + the rest of the sentence |
In the table given below, understand the structure of the past perfect continuous tense as per the type of sentences –
| Types of sentence | Rule | Examples |
| Positive | Subject + had + been + present participle + the rest of the sentence | 1. She had been following strict diet which was given by her doctor. 2. They had been working in the company for last five years when I got the promotion. |
| Negative | Subject + had + not + been + present participle + the rest of the sentence | 1. She had not been following strict diet which was given by her doctor. 2. They had not been working in the company for last five years when I got the promotion. |
| Interrogative | Had + subject + been + present participle + the rest of the sentence | 1. Had she been following the strict diet which was given by her doctor? 2. Had they been working in the company for last five years when I got the promotion? |
| Negative Interrogative | Had + subject + not + been + present participle + the rest of the sentence (or) Hadn’t + subject + been + present participle + the rest of the sentence | 1. Had she not been following the strict diet which was given by her doctor? 2. Had they not been working in the company for last five years when I got the promotion? |
Application of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Now, let’s understand how to apply the rule of the past perfect continuous tense in different situations. Below in the table, the application is simplified with the examples:
| Situations | Examples |
| Denoting an action that is a cause to an another action | 1. Alka was very tired as she had been working continuously for three days. 2. They were happy because they had been meeting their school friends after so many years. |
| Highlighting an action that continued in the past to another action in the past | 1. Do you know for how long Vijay had been away from home since he left from work? 2. I had been waiting to know the results from the examination department for more than a month before I applied for college’s entrance test. |
Point to remember while using past perfect continuous tense
Past perfect continuous tense includes two helping verbs and a main verb. Two helping verbs ‘had’ and ‘been’ followed by a main verb is mandatory in a sentence with past perfect continuous tense.
In the negative sentence, not is added after had whereas in interrogative sentence had comes first, followed by the subject, then ‘been’.
Difference between Past Perfect Continuous Tense and Past Continuous Tense
Past continuous highlights the interrupted actions, whereas past perfect continuous highlights on a duration of time before something in the past.
If we do not include a duration such as “for ten minutes,” “for two weeks” or “since May,” past continuous would be used instead of the past perfect continuous. This might lead to change in the meaning of the sentence.
For Examples:
Commonly made mistakes in Past Perfect Continuous Tense
There are most common mistakes that are made in Past Perfect Continuous Tense . Below is the list mentioning the mistakes that you should avoid.
1. Instead of ‘had been’ using ‘was/were’ as a helping verb.
For Examples:
A. He was teaching in this school for five years before he quit. (Incorrect)
B. He had been teaching in this school for five years before he quit. (Correct)
2. Avoiding the use of ‘been’
For Examples:
A. She had studying for the exams for hours. (Incorrect)
B. She had been studying for the exams for hours. (Correct)
3. Confused between Past Perfect Continuous and Simple Past
For Examples:
A. We practice for two hours before the tournament. (Incorrect)
B. We had been practicing for two hours before the tournament. (Correct)
4. Use of Past Perfect Continuous without time reference
For Examples:
A. He had been playing in the garden. (Incorrect)
B. He had been playing in the garden for an hour when it started to rain. (Correct)