Past Perfect Continuous Subject + had+ been + Verb4
Subject + had + been + V4 + since/ for + time.
Subject + had + not been + V4 + since/ for + time.
Had + Subject+ been + V4 + since/ for + time?
Had + Subject+ not been + V4 + since/ for + time?
Wh- Word + had + Subject+ been + V4 + since/ for + time?
Wh- Word + had + Subject+ not been + V4 + since/ for + time?
- Continuous action before another past action
- Duration of past activity
- Temporary ongoing activity in the past
- Use with “for” and “since”
- Background action in past narration
Example Sentences:
I had been studying English for two hours before dinner.
She had been cooking since morning before the guests arrived.
They had been playing cricket for a long time before it started raining.
He had been working in that company for five years before he resigned.
We had been waiting for the bus for an hour before it finally came.
The baby had been crying continuously before the mother picked him up.
My father had been driving for many hours before he took a rest.
The students had been preparing for the exam for several months.
You had been speaking very confidently before the audience.
It had been raining for two days before the weather became clear.
I had not been feeling well before the check-up.
She had not been attending classes regularly before the final exam.
They had not been following the instructions properly before the accident happened.
Had you been learning English before joining this institute?
Had he been living in Delhi for many years before moving to Mumbai?
Why had they been shouting at each other before the teacher arrived?
What had you been doing before I called you?
We had been watching TV for hours before the electricity went out.
She had been trying to contact you all day before she finally reached you.
The workers had been repairing the road for several weeks before the project ended.
Positive: She had been teaching for two years.
Negative: She had not been teaching for two years.
Interrogative: Had she been teaching for two years?
Negative Interrogative: Had she not been teaching for two years?
WH-Questions:
- What had she been teaching for two years?
- Who had been teaching for two years?
- Where had she been teaching since her childhood?
- Why had she been teaching since last month?
- Which subject had she been teaching for one hour?
- Whom had she been teaching for a long time?
- Who had she been teaching for a long time?
- How had she been teaching since she graduated?
- How many students had she been teaching during her college time?
- How long had she been teaching?