English — Grammar: Past Perfect Continuous — 3rd Year Secondary (Literary Stream) — Baccalaureate — Algerian Program

Past Perfect Continuous

The Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes the duration of an action that was in progress before another action in the past.

Formation

Subject + had been + verb+ing

• Positive: I had been waiting for two hours when he arrived.
• Negative: She had not been feeling well before the exam.
• Question: Had you been studying long when I called?

Uses

• Duration before a past event: They had been driving for five hours when they stopped.
• Cause of a past result: He was tired because he had been working all day.

Exercises

1. Complete: She ___ (work) all day before she finished the project.
2. Complete: They were exhausted because they ___ (travel) for 12 hours.