The past perfect continuous tense is used to talk about actions that were happening over a period of time before another past event. It helps to describe duration, cause, and background actions in storytelling and conversations. In this blog post, you will learn example sentences, including positive, negative, and question forms, to understand this tense better and use it correctly in English.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense in English
The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions that started in the past, continued for a certain period of time, and ended before another action in the past. The structure for the past perfect continuous tense includes a subject, “had been,” the verb’s present participle (verb + ing), and the time frame.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense Structures:
- Positive Sentence Structure: Subject + had been + verb (ing) + time reference
- Negative Sentence Structure: Subject + had not been + verb (ing) + time reference
- Question Sentence Structure: Had + subject + been + verb (ing) + time reference?
Example Sentences of Past Perfect Continuous
No. | Positive Sentence | Negative Sentence | Question Sentence |
---|---|---|---|
Subject + had been + verb (ing) + time reference | Subject + had not been + verb (ing) + time reference | Had + subject + been + verb (ing) + time reference? | |
1. | He had been reading a book for two hours. | He had not been reading a book for two hours. | Had he been reading a book for two hours? |
2. | They had been playing football since morning. | They had not been playing football since morning. | Had they been playing football since morning? |
3. | She had been cooking dinner before the guests arrived. | She had not been cooking dinner before the guests arrived. | Had she been cooking dinner before the guests arrived? |
4. | We had been waiting for the bus for half an hour. | We had not been waiting for the bus for half an hour. | Had we been waiting for the bus for half an hour? |
5. | John had been practicing piano for a year. | John had not been practicing piano for a year. | Had John been practicing piano for a year? |
6. | I had been studying all night before the exam. | I had not been studying all night before the exam. | Had I been studying all night before the exam? |
7. | They had been traveling around Europe for two weeks. | They had not been traveling around Europe for two weeks. | Had they been traveling around Europe for two weeks? |
8. | We had been cleaning the house before the party started. | We had not been cleaning the house before the party started. | Had we been cleaning the house before the party started? |
9. | She had been exercising for an hour before breakfast. | She had not been exercising for an hour before breakfast. | Had she been exercising for an hour before breakfast? |
10. | He had been fixing the car all afternoon. | He had not been fixing the car all afternoon. | Had he been fixing the car all afternoon? |
11. | They had been living in that house for five years. | They had not been living in that house for five years. | Had they been living in that house for five years? |
12. | She had been learning Spanish for a month. | She had not been learning Spanish for a month. | Had she been learning Spanish for a month? |
13. | We had been working on the project for days. | We had not been working on the project for days. | Had we been working on the project for days? |
14. | He had been running every morning before work. | He had not been running every morning before work. | Had he been running every morning before work? |
15. | I had been thinking about that all day. | I had not been thinking about that all day. | Had I been thinking about that all day? |
16. | They had been playing chess for two hours. | They had not been playing chess for two hours. | Had they been playing chess for two hours? |
17. | She had been writing her novel for six months. | She had not been writing her novel for six months. | Had she been writing her novel for six months? |
18. | We had been planning a surprise party for him. | We had not been planning a surprise party for him. | Had we been planning a surprise party for him? |
19. | He had been repairing the bike for three hours. | He had not been repairing the bike for three hours. | Had he been repairing the bike for three hours? |
20. | I had been waiting for the call all morning. | I had not been waiting for the call all morning. | Had I been waiting for the call all morning? |
21. | They had been discussing the issue for hours. | They had not been discussing the issue for hours. | Had they been discussing the issue for hours? |
22. | She had been painting the room before we arrived. | She had not been painting the room before we arrived. | Had she been painting the room before we arrived? |
23. | We had been practicing for the concert all week. | We had not been practicing for the concert all week. | Had we been practicing for the concert all week? |
24. | He had been playing the guitar since noon. | He had not been playing the guitar since noon. | Had he been playing the guitar since noon? |
25. | I had been looking for my keys for an hour. | I had not been looking for my keys for an hour. | Had I been looking for my keys for an hour? |
26. | They had been arguing for days before they reconciled. | They had not been arguing for days before they reconciled. | Had they been arguing for days before they reconciled? |
27. | She had been saving money for a vacation. | She had not been saving money for a vacation. | Had she been saving money for a vacation? |
28. | We had been waiting in line for two hours. | We had not been waiting in line for two hours. | Had we been waiting in line for two hours? |
29. | He had been studying English for six months. | He had not been studying English for six months. | Had he been studying English for six months? |
30. | I had been cleaning the house all day. | I had not been cleaning the house all day. | Had I been cleaning the house all day? |
Past Perfect Continuous Examples
No. | Positive Sentence | Negative Sentence | Question Sentence |
---|---|---|---|
Subject + had been + verb (ing) + time reference | Subject + had not been + verb (ing) + time reference | Had + subject + been + verb (ing) + time reference? | |
31. | They had been building the house for two years. | They had not been building the house for two years. | Had they been building the house for two years? |
32. | She had been preparing for the exam for a week. | She had not been preparing for the exam for a week. | Had she been preparing for the exam for a week? |
33. | We had been talking for hours before dinner. | We had not been talking for hours before dinner. | Had we been talking for hours before dinner? |
34. | He had been playing video games all afternoon. | He had not been playing video games all afternoon. | Had he been playing video games all afternoon? |
35. | I had been waiting for her call for an hour. | I had not been waiting for her call for an hour. | Had I been waiting for her call for an hour? |
36. | They had been preparing the presentation all day. | They had not been preparing the presentation all day. | Had they been preparing the presentation all day? |
37. | She had been learning French for six months. | She had not been learning French for six months. | Had she been learning French for six months? |
38. | We had been talking about the event for days. | We had not been talking about the event for days. | Had we been talking about the event for days? |
39. | He had been working on the project since last week. | He had not been working on the project since last week. | Had he been working on the project since last week? |
40. | I had been planning the trip for months. | I had not been planning the trip for months. | Had I been planning the trip for months? |
41. | They had been discussing the proposal for hours. | They had not been discussing the proposal for hours. | Had they been discussing the proposal for hours? |
42. | She had been practicing the song for a week. | She had not been practicing the song for a week. | Had she been practicing the song for a week? |
43. | We had been thinking about moving to a new house. | We had not been thinking about moving to a new house. | Had we been thinking about moving to a new house? |
44. | He had been waiting for his turn for hours. | He had not been waiting for his turn for hours. | Had he been waiting for his turn for hours? |
45. | I had been working at the company for five years. | I had not been working at the company for five years. | Had I been working at the company for five years? |
46. | They had been making preparations for the event. | They had not been making preparations for the event. | Had they been making preparations for the event? |
47. | She had been practicing her speech all night. | She had not been practicing her speech all night. | Had she been practicing her speech all night? |
48. | We had been waiting for the results all morning. | We had not been waiting for the results all morning. | Had we been waiting for the results all morning? |
49. | He had been jogging every morning before work. | He had not been jogging every morning before work. | Had he been jogging every morning before work? |
50. | I had been searching for my wallet all day. | I had not been searching for my wallet all day. | Had I been searching for my wallet all day? |
51. | They had been fixing the roof before the storm hit. | They had not been fixing the roof before the storm hit. | Had they been fixing the roof before the storm hit? |
52. | She had been practicing yoga for a year. | She had not been practicing yoga for a year. | Had she been practicing yoga for a year? |
53. | We had been organizing the files for hours. | We had not been organizing the files for hours. | Had we been organizing the files for hours? |
54. | He had been painting the fence before it rained. | He had not been painting the fence before it rained. | Had he been painting the fence before it rained? |
55. | I had been waiting for you all day. | I had not been waiting for you all day. | Had I been waiting for you all day? |
56. | They had been renovating the house for two months. | They had not been renovating the house for two months. | Had they been renovating the house for two months? |
57. | She had been swimming every day last summer. | She had not been swimming every day last summer. | Had she been swimming every day last summer? |
58. | We had been planning the wedding for a year. | We had not been planning the wedding for a year. | Had we been planning the wedding for a year? |
59. | He had been painting the picture for weeks. | He had not been painting the picture for weeks. | Had he been painting the picture for weeks? |
60. | I had been learning to play the guitar for a month. | I had not been learning to play the guitar for a month. | Had I been learning to play the guitar for a month? |
61. | They had been discussing the plan for days. | They had not been discussing the plan for days. | Had they been discussing the plan for days? |
62. | She had been reading that book for a week. | She had not been reading that book for a week. | Had she been reading that book for a week? |
63. | We had been playing chess before dinner. | We had not been playing chess before dinner. | Had we been playing chess before dinner? |
64. | He had been working in the garden all morning. | He had not been working in the garden all morning. | Had he been working in the garden all morning? |
65. | I had been drawing a picture before the lights went out. | I had not been drawing a picture before the lights went out. | Had I been drawing a picture before the lights went out? |
Examples of Past Perfect Progressive Tense
No. | Positive Sentence | Negative Sentence | Question Sentence |
---|---|---|---|
Subject + had been + verb (ing) + time reference | Subject + had not been + verb (ing) + time reference | Had + subject + been + verb (ing) + time reference? | |
66. | They had been waiting for the train for an hour. | They had not been waiting for the train for an hour. | Had they been waiting for the train for an hour? |
67. | She had been studying for her exams all week. | She had not been studying for her exams all week. | Had she been studying for her exams all week? |
68. | We had been chatting for hours before the meeting. | We had not been chatting for hours before the meeting. | Had we been chatting for hours before the meeting? |
69. | He had been watching TV for three hours. | He had not been watching TV for three hours. | Had he been watching TV for three hours? |
70. | I had been waiting in line for an hour. | I had not been waiting in line for an hour. | Had I been waiting in line for an hour? |
71. | They had been cleaning the house before guests arrived. | They had not been cleaning the house before guests arrived. | Had they been cleaning the house before guests arrived? |
72. | She had been preparing dinner for two hours. | She had not been preparing dinner for two hours. | Had she been preparing dinner for two hours? |
73. | We had been learning Spanish for a year. | We had not been learning Spanish for a year. | Had we been learning Spanish for a year? |
74. | He had been fixing the computer for hours. | He had not been fixing the computer for hours. | Had he been fixing the computer for hours? |
75. | I had been thinking about the problem all night. | I had not been thinking about the problem all night. | Had I been thinking about the problem all night? |
76. | They had been exercising every day. | They had not been exercising every day. | Had they been exercising every day? |
77. | She had been painting the room for an hour. | She had not been painting the room for an hour. | Had she been painting the room for an hour? |
78. | We had been discussing the project for days. | We had not been discussing the project for days. | Had we been discussing the project for days? |
79. | He had been preparing the report for a week. | He had not been preparing the report for a week. | Had he been preparing the report for a week? |
80. | I had been waiting for the bus for an hour. | I had not been waiting for the bus for an hour. | Had I been waiting for the bus for an hour? |
81. | They had been playing soccer all afternoon. | They had not been playing soccer all afternoon. | Had they been playing soccer all afternoon? |
82. | She had been writing her essay all evening. | She had not been writing her essay all evening. | Had she been writing her essay all evening? |
83. | We had been traveling for two days before we arrived. | We had not been traveling for two days before we arrived. | Had we been traveling for two days before we arrived? |
84. | He had been studying the topic for weeks. | He had not been studying the topic for weeks. | Had he been studying the topic for weeks? |
85. | I had been trying to solve the puzzle for an hour. | I had not been trying to solve the puzzle for an hour. | Had I been trying to solve the puzzle for an hour? |
86. | They had been discussing the news for hours. | They had not been discussing the news for hours. | Had they been discussing the news for hours? |
87. | She had been organizing her room all day. | She had not been organizing her room all day. | Had she been organizing her room all day? |
88. | We had been practicing the dance for weeks. | We had not been practicing the dance for weeks. | Had we been practicing the dance for weeks? |
89. | He had been cooking dinner for two hours. | He had not been cooking dinner for two hours. | Had he been cooking dinner for two hours? |
90. | I had been jogging in the park for an hour. | I had not been jogging in the park for an hour. | Had I been jogging in the park for an hour? |
91. | They had been arranging the chairs before the event. | They had not been arranging the chairs before the event. | Had they been arranging the chairs before the event? |
92. | She had been knitting a scarf all evening. | She had not been knitting a scarf all evening. | Had she been knitting a scarf all evening? |
93. | We had been rehearsing for the play for a week. | We had not been rehearsing for the play for a week. | Had we been rehearsing for the play for a week? |
94. | He had been cleaning the garage for two hours. | He had not been cleaning the garage for two hours. | Had he been cleaning the garage for two hours? |
95. | I had been gardening all morning before it rained. | I had not been gardening all morning before it rained. | Had I been gardening all morning before it rained? |
96. | They had been training for the marathon all year. | They had not been training for the marathon all year. | Had they been training for the marathon all year? |
97. | She had been working on her thesis for a year. | She had not been working on her thesis for a year. | Had she been working on her thesis for a year? |
98. | We had been organizing the event for months. | We had not been organizing the event for months. | Had we been organizing the event for months? |
99. | He had been teaching at the school for ten years. | He had not been teaching at the school for ten years. | Had he been teaching at the school for ten years? |
100. | I had been waiting for the letter for weeks. | I had not been waiting for the letter for weeks. | Had I been waiting for the letter for weeks? |
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