Hi, in today’s lesson, you are going to be learning about the past perfect continuous tense
or sometimes known as the past perfect progressive tense in English.
For example: I had been working at my company for two years when I got a promotion.
Here, had been working is in the past perfect continuous.
It shows that an action that started in the past continued up until another time in the past.
It is used to show that an event or action in the past was still continuing and not complete.
The form of the past perfect continuous tense is had been + the verb’s present participle (root + -ing).
So what’s the difference with the present perfect continuous?
The present perfect continuous indicates an action that began in the past
and continued up to the present,
For example, let’s look at our original example as a present perfect continuous.
I have been working at the company for two years.
So, that's up until the present, we're talking now.
Let’s look at this on a timeline.
So the cross is when you started working at the company, at some point in the past
but you are still working there now and could continue maybe into the future.
So we use the present perfect continuous. I HAVE ( not had) been working ….
Whereas the past perfect continuous indicates something that began in the past,
continued in the past, and also ended at a defined point in the past.
On a timeline it would look like this:
I had been working at my company for two years when I got a promotion.
So you began working in the past, here with the first cross.
you continued ( that's the wiggly line) working until a defined point in the past,
here it's when you got a promotion, this is indicated with the second cross.
Let’s look at another example:
He had been eating biscuits out of the jar when Mum walked into the kitchen.
Let’s see this on a timeline.
So the first cross is when he started eating biscuits (in the past) and he continued doing it
until Mum walked into the kitchen (so that's another fixed point in the past.)
When, for, since, and before are words that you may see used alongside the past perfect continuous tense.
So, for example,
Jenny had been walking four miles a day before she broke her ankle.
So Jenny started walking in the past and continued until another fixed point in the past
when she broke her ankle.
Here the clue that it is the past perfect continuous because you are using the word before.
or
The program that was terminated had been working well since 2010.
Here our clue word is since.
So the program started in the past and continued until another fixed point in the past, which is 2010.
or
Zoe had been playing the piano for 5 years when she was finally asked to play with the local orchestra.
So here the clue word is when.
Zoe started playing piano in the past and continued until another fixed point in the past
when she was asked to play with the local orchestra.
We do not normally use the past perfect continuous with stative verbs.
Remember a stative verb describes a state of being, rather than a dynamic verb, which describes an action.
For example: to be, to know, to feel, these are all stative verbs.
So with stative verbs we use the past perfect simple instead.
For example:
Up until that moment, I'd never believed (NOT never been believing) in ghosts.
So now its your turn.
Read the sentences and complete them using the past perfect continuous.
1. We played tennis yesterday. Half an hour after we began playing it started to rain.
So, "We............................ when …...................."
Pause the video and think of your answer.
We had been playing tennis for half an hour when it started to rain.
2. I had arranged to meet Gary in a restaurant. I arrived and waited for him.
After 20 minutes I suddenly realised that I was in the wrong restaurant.
I …................... for 20 minutes when I ….......................the wrong restaurant.
Again, pause the video.
I had been waiting for 20 minutes when I realised I was in the wrong restaurant.
or that I had come to the wrong restaurant.
3. Sarah got a job in a factory. Five years later the factory closed down.
At the time the factory ....... Sarah ..... there for five years.
Pause the video.
At the time the factory closed down, Sarah had been working there for five years.
4. I went to a concert last week. the orchestra began playing.
After about 5 minutes a woman in the audience suddenly started screaming.
The orchestra BLANK when BLANK.
Write your answer down below in the comment section
remember to use the past perfect continuous,
and I promise to give you feedback on your answer.
So that’s it for now. I hope you feel more confident using the past perfect continuous in English.
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So, take care and see you very soon! Bye, bye!