Definition:

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to describe

• Actions that had been ongoing for a period of time before another past action

• Long or repeated past activities that were happening before something else occurred

• Emphasis on the duration of an action in the past

Structure

Affirmative Sentences (Positive Statements)

Structure:
        Subject + had been + Verb + ing + Object

Examples:

• I had been studying for two hours before you came.

• She had been cooking dinner when the guests arrived.

• They had been playing football all afternoon.

• He had been sleeping before the alarm rang.

• We had been traveling for five hours when the bus broke down.

Negative Sentences

Structure:
        Subject + had not been + Verb + ing + Object

Examples:

• I had not been working before I got that job.

• She hadn’t been watching TV before bedtime.

• They had not been coming to class regularly.

• He had not been attending meetings for a while.

• We had not been playing well that season.

Interrogative Sentences (Questions)

Structure:
        Had + Subject + been + Verb + ing + Object + ?

Examples:

• Had you been studying before the test started?

• Had she been cooking for long before they arrived?

• Had they been playing cricket all day?

• Had he been working on that project before it was canceled?

• Had we been going to the gym before lockdown?

Time Words Commonly Used:

• Before

• When

• For (duration)

• Since (starting point)

• Until

• All day / All night / All week

Real-life Usage Examples:

• I had been waiting for the bus for an hour before it finally came.

• She had been feeling sick for days before seeing the doctor.

• They had been working on the project since Monday.

• We had been walking for miles when it started raining.

• He had been trying to fix the car before the mechanic arrived.

Lesson Summary:

• Use Past Perfect Continuous to describe past actions that were in progress before another past action.

• Structure is: had been + verb + ing

• Use time expressions like for, since, before, when to indicate duration and context.

• It emphasizes how long an activity had been happening in the past.