Past Perfect Continuous Tense
The
past perfect continuous tense (also known as the past perfect progressive
tense) shows that an action that started in the past continued up until another
time in the past. The past perfect continuous tense is constructed using had
been + the verb’s present participle (root + -ing).
Unlike
the present perfect continuous, which indicates an action that began in the
past and continued up to the present, the past perfect continuous is a verb
tense that indicates something that began in the past, continued in the past,
and also ended at a defined point in the past.
- ·
He had been drinking milk out the carton when Mom
walked into the kitchen.
- ·
I had been working at the company for five years when
I got the promotion.
When,
for, since, and before are words that you may see used alongside the past
perfect continuous tense.
Examples
- ·
Martha had been walking three miles a day before she
broke her leg.
- ·
The program that was terminated had been working well
since 1945.
- ·
Cathy had been playing the piano for 35 years when she
was finally asked to do a solo with the local orchestra.
- ·
He had been throwing rocks at her window for five
minutes before she finally came out on the balcony and said, “Hey, Romeo.”
Past perfect continuous tense
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