17389 the past perfect continuous tense

The Past Perfect Tense
1) When do you use this
tense?
2) How is it formed?
3) Give an example sentence.

Subject + had + past participle


What are the differences between
these sets of sentences?
1. I had read my book when the lights went out.
2. I had been reading my book for 3 hours
when the lights went out.
1. She had eaten her dinner when the telephone
rang.
2. She had been eating her dinner when the
telephone rang.
1. When Sally arrived Steve had written his
homework.
2. When Sally arrived Steve had been writing his
homework for 5 minutes.


In the first sentences the action is finished
when the next action/event begins.
• She had eaten her dinner when the
telephone rang. (she is no longer eating)
In the second sentences the action is still
taking place when the second action or event
occurs.

• She had been eating her dinner when the
telephone rang. (she is still eating)

Which tense are we using in this
second sentence?

The past perfect continuous
The past perfect continuous is used to talk
how long something had been going on
before something else happened in the past.
It is also used to talk about actions or
situations that were happening before some
other action or situation.

How do we form this tense?


Subject + had + been + verb (ing)

EXAMPLES
The boys had been quarreling for half an hour
when we arrived home.

Her back was sore because she had been
sitting at the computer all day.

She had been working at the company for a
year when she met James.

Complete the sentences with the

correct verb.


*SMOKE

*SNOW

*EAT

*PLAY

*RUN *READ *CRY
1.When we left it………………………….
2.I ………………….when the lights went out.
3.She………………her dinner when he rang.
4.We………………tennis for 10 minutes
when it started to rain.
5.When I arrived she ……………………………
6.They were out of breath, they………………
7.He smelt of cigarettes because
he…………


 In pairs, read the sentences to
each other. Take it in turns.
 Change your partner’s sentence
into a past perfect continuous
sentence.
 Write down the answer your
partner gives you.

 Check the grammar, is it correct?
EXAMPLE
I had climbed the stairs when I saw the
spider.

I

ANSWER
I had been climbing the stairs when I
saw the spider.


Person A
Read your sentences to your partner and write down their
answers. Afterwards check your answers together.
1. Julie had paid for her shopping when she saw Chris.
2. I had read your letter when you rang.
3. The doctor had visited his patient when his wife called.
4. Jill had driven to work when her father called her.
5. Tom had played tennis when it began to snow.
6. He had walked his dog when it started to rain.

Person B
Read your sentences to your partner and write down their
answers. Afterwards check your answers together.
1. I had finished my dinner when she arrived.
2. I had read my book when the teacher called me into the classroom.
3. Jose had kicked the ball when the referee blew the whistle.
4. Carol had written her novel when the publishing agency phoned
her.

5. Maria had painted the room when she fell off the ladder.
6. Shabnam had made the beds when her boss came to check the
rooms.