Past Perfect Continuous

Use the past perfect continuous to describe an action that was in progress before another past event or before a specific time in the past. It shows duration or cause. In other words, it shows that an action started in the past, continued for some time, and ended before another past action or time.

Form

had + been + verb-ing

Affirmative	Negative	Question
She had been working for two hours.	She hadn't been sleeping well.	Had she been waiting long?

When to use it

• To show duration up to a past moment (for / since).
• To explain the cause of a past situation (why someone was tired, angry, etc.).
• To describe an action in progress before another past action.

Time Expressions + Examples

Before + Simple Past

1. We had been studying for an hour before the teacher arrived.
2. They had been chatting for ages before the bell rang.

By the time + Simple Past

1. By the time I got home, she had been cleaning the kitchen for two hours.
2. By the time class started, students had been revising their notes.

When + simple past

1. They had been waiting at the gate for 1 hour when the train arrived.
2. I had been playing football for 45 minutes when it started to rain.

After + P.P.C

1. After she had been studying all night, she finally slept.
2. After they had been arguing for an hour, they made a plan.

Because + P.P.C

1. She was exhausted because she had been working since morning.
2. He was late because he had been looking for the keys for 55 minutes.

Contrast with Past Perfect Simple

Use the P.P continuous for activity or duration, and the Past Perfect for completed actions.

Continuous Action	Completed Action
She had been practicing the song for hours.	She had finished the song before the show.

Practice

Put the verbs between brackets in past perfect continuous.

1. By the time the bus came, we ______ (wait) for 30 minutes.
2. She was tired because she ______ (work) all day.
3. After they ______ (argue) for an hour, they calmed down.
4. He ______ (prepare) the lesson as soon as the students arrived.
5. The ground was wet because it __________ (rain) all night.
6. She was tired because she __________ (work) all day.
7. By the time we arrived, they __________ (wait) for more than an hour.

Show answers

1. had been waiting
2. had been working
3. had been arguing
4. had been preparing
5. had been raining
6. had been working
7. had been waiting