Mastering the Past Perfect Continuous Tense: 100 Example Sentences and Exercises to Boost Your Grammar Skills

This article is about the Past Perfect Continuous Tense 100 examples, formula, structure, and exercises with answers.

1. What is the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?

The Past Perfect Continuous tense means an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time.

Example: At that time, she had been learning German for two months.

When Mr. Gupta came to the company in 2016, Mr. Sharma had already been working there for ten years.

2.  Definition of Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is defined as an action that started in the past and continued up until another time in the past.

3. What is the formula for the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?

It is important to understand the formula of Past Perfect Continuous Tense so that we can structure the sentences.

Formula:

Subject + had + been + Present Simple (verb-ing) + object + time.

I	had	been	learning	English
Subject	Auxilliary Verb	Auxilliary Verb	Present Simple (verb-ing)	Object

4. What is the structure of the Past Perfect Continuous tense?

Let us understand how sentences are structured in a positive, negative, interrogative, and negative interrogative way using the past perfect continuous tense.

Structure of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Positive	Negative	Interrogative	Negative Interrogative
Subject + had + been + present participle (verb-ing) + the rest of the sentence	Subject + had + not + been + present participle (verb-ing) + the rest of the sentence	Had + subject + been + present participle + the rest of the sentence	Had + subject + not + been + present participle (verb-ing) + the rest of the sentence
She had been ironing my clothes when her phone rang.	She had not been ironing my clothes when her phone rang.	Had she been ironing my clothes when her phone rang?	Had she not been ironing my clothes when her phone rang?

5. What rules should be followed when using the past perfect continuous tense?

1. It shows an action that started in the past, continued for some time, and was still happening before another past event.

Example: She had been studying for two hours before she had a glass of milk.

• It is used with time expressions.

For example: For an hour/ for five days etc.

Since Sunday/ Since morning.

Before/by the time/ when.

Example: They had been playing cricket since morning.

• It explains the reason behind the occurrence of the past event.

Example: He was tired because he had been exercising.

• Do not use stative verbs (e.g., know, believe, love, etc.) in the continuous tense.

Use past perfect instead.

Incorrect: I had been knowing him for a year.

Correct: I had known him for a year.

• It is different from the past continuous tense.
• Past Continuous: An action happening in the past moment.

Example: She was dancing for an hour..

• Past Perfect Continuous: It refers to two past actions, one happening before another.

Example: She was dancing for an hour when John arrived.

6. What are the 100 examples of the past perfect continuous tense?

1. He had been listening to music all day.
2. Sue had been working in Microsoft for four years when she lost her job.
3. We had been playing cricket for two hours.
4. She had been eating chocolates when her mother walked into the room.
5. Mohan had been exercising before he met with an accident.
6. My sister had been learning French for three years.
7. John had been reading magazines for seven months.
8. I had not been visiting my relatives before the holidays.
9. He had not been eating noodles for lunch before today.
10. I had been writing essays on different topics for two days.
11. She had been waiting for hours at the station before the train arrived.
12. My sister had been cooking in the kitchen for an hour.
13. Rahul had been cutting grass when he saw the policeman.
14. Diane had been sleeping in her room since 5,00 am.
15. The teacher had been talking to the students when the principal arrived.
16. I had been saving money for years before I bought my house.
17. The woman had been dusting her room when her husband came home.
18. Had his son been eating anything all day?
19. She had been living in Goa for 10 years before she moved to Hyderabad.
20. You had been going to the temple since you were ten years old.
21. It had not been raining since Monday.
22. Sita had been calling your mother for two years.
23. They had been doing their homework since three o’clock.
24. She had been using an iPhone for three years.
25. He had been helping the poor for seven years.
26. Jack had been trying to repair his car the whole day.
27. Henry had been watching TV before he slept.
28. Had you been working since morning?
29. I had not been washing clothes before I went to the market.
30. Had you been studying History all day.
31.  Sebastian had been watering the plants for two hours.
32. Leo had been bringing flowers for his teacher.
33. James had been feeding the birds this morning.
34. The mechanics had been repairing the car for an hour.
35. The boys had been creeping into the museum without the tickets.
36. The maid had been cutting the vegetables for the lady.
37. Amelia had been getting ready for the party.
38. They had been hearing the noise outside their house.
39. The students had not been paying attention in class.
40. They had not been practicing singing.
41. Sophia had been hitting her son for lying.
42. They had been growing some flower plants in their garden.
43. Harpreet had been lending his bicycle to his friend.
44. The police had been finding the thief.
45. She had been using the car for a long time.
46. Emma had not been wearing her wedding ring.
47. Her parents had been telling her to concentrate on her studies.
48. He had been carrying the books for his teacher.
49. He had been looking for a job for a long time.
50. John and Jenny had been trying to contact their parents.
51. They had been feeling sad about the incident.
52. The shopkeeper had been increasing the prices of the goods.
53. Jack had been travelling to Europe quite often.
54. She had been looking after her younger brother.
55. They had been going to the hospital for three months.
56. Olivia had been watching a movie on television.
57. They had been spending all their money to buy decorative items.
58. He had been flying in a helicopter.
59. She had been showing her drawing to her elder brother.
60. The people had been taking the initiative to raise their voice against injustice.
61. The children had been bursting crackers outside their house.
62. The boys had been winning the cricket match.
63. The old man had been seeing the children play in the garden.
64. The girl had been running in the park.
65. They had been enjoying the programme on television.
66. She had been getting up early to do exercise.
67. She had been arranging furniture in her house.
68. The children had been singing songs in the music hall.
69. Maya had been learning Italian.
70. They had been knowing him for a long time.
71. She had been taking pictures for an hour.
72. He had been searching for a good book in the city library.
73. Ranjit had been studying Physics for two hours.
74. John had been working in a factory.
75. The children had been disturbing their neighbours.
76. He had been living in New York.
77. He had been smoking every day.
78. Dennis had been playing the piano.
79. She had been petting the dog.
80. They had been giving old clothes to the poor.
81. She had been seeing a doctor for two weeks.
82. The baby had been crying for ten minutes.
83. The teacher had been answering all the questions asked by her students.
84. She had been making coffee for half an hour.
85. The boy had been riding his bicycle in the playground.
86. He had been comparing himself with others.
87. The manager had been finding faults with his employee.
88. The teacher had been checking the notebooks for an hour.
89. They had been planning to go on an excursion.
90. She had been having a good time on the beach.
91. Harry had been teaching in a school for two years.
92. The police had been investigating the crime for three months.
93. They had been phoning his brother.
94. She had been taking a taxi to the airport.
95. They had been parking the car outside the gate.
96. She had been worrying about her son.
97. He had been sitting in the garden for two hours.
98. They had been ringing the doorbell for thirty minutes.
99. They had been submitting their homework to the teacher.
100. He had been hurting his friends.

7. Exercise on the Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

• Test your understanding of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense.
• Fill in the blanks with the correct form of tense in the following sentences.
• They ______ (play) football for two hours before they went home.
• She _____ (cook) in the kitchen when her husband arrived.
• He _____ (run) in the park since morning.
• My sister _____ (ask) me to buy a mobile phone before I could save money to buy one.
• She ______ (live) in London for ten years when she had to leave due to her mother’s illness.
• Rohit _____ (wait) at the station for an hour before he left.
• _____ you _____ (listen-interrogative) since 10 o’clock?
• ______ she _____ (study-interrogative) before the exam?
• They _______ (watch) movies for two hours.
• He _______ (call) your clients for three years.

Answers:-

1. They had been playing football for two hours before they went home.
2. She had been cooking in the kitchen when her husband arrived.
3. He had been running in the park since morning.
4. My sister had been asking me to buy a mobile phone before I could save money to buy one.
5. She had been living in London for ten years when she had to leave due to her mother’s illness.
6. Rohit had been waiting at the station for an hour before he left.
7. Had you been listening since 10 o’clock?
8. Had she been studying before the exam?
9. They had been watching movies for two hours.
10. He had been calling your clients for three years.

Also Read:-

1. The Future Perfect Tense: The Ultimate Guide to Example Formula Sentences & Their Structure!
2. Uses of Used to Exercises, Examples, Sentences in English Grammar
3. 50 Sentences of Past Perfect Tense with Examples and Rules
4. English Vedas Blog