PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

PAST  PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

It is used to show that a work had been continuing from the past and it had not been finished. In such sentences duration of time of work is also given. 

‘Had’ with 'been' and first form of  verb and -ing is used in these sentences.To express time words ‘for  or since’ are used. 

For example 

The child had been sleeping for two hours

We had been working for two days.

You had been living here since 1995.

AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCES

In affirmative sentences, with all  types of persons ‘had’ is used.

 And with it ‘been’ and first   form  of verb and ‘ing’ is used.   

To express time ‘since’  or ‘for’ is used.

For Example :

Girls had been plucking flowers for one hour.

You had been reading this book since morning.

She had been preparing tea for half an  hour.

We had been living in this house for two years.

NEGATIVE SENTENCES

In negative sentences ‘had been’ is used with first form of verb and ‘ing’ 

and ‘not’ is used between ‘had’ & ‘been’.

For Example :

She had not been singing since morning.

You had not been taking your meals for two days.

They had not been waiting for you for two hours.

The child had not been crying for half an hour.

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES

In Interrogative sentences Had is used before Subject.  

Been and first form of verb with ing are used. 

To express time for and since are used.

A sign of interrogation is used at the end of the sentence.

For Example:

Had he been helping  you for two years?

Had you been painting a picture since morning?

Had children been dancing for two hours ?

Had we been learning our lessons  for the last two hours?

Similarly in interrogative negative sentences Had is used before subject and not is  used before first  form of verb with ing  in the sentence.

For Example :

Had I not been solving this sum for two hours ?

Had the girls not been dancing for the last two hours?

Had Mary not been preparing for her examination since January  ?

Had you not been waiting for him since morning?

In case of Interrogative sentences starting with words 'wh' , the sentence starts with the word 'wh' followed by 'had' , subject , been and first form of verb with 'ing'. The sentence ends with a sign of interrogation mark.


For Example :


1.Where had you been living for the last two years?

2. Who had been teaching you English for the last two months?

3. Since when had you been living in this house ?

4. Why had they not been playing since morning?

5. How had she been managing her affairs for all these years?

6. Whom had they been searching for since morning?

7. Whose book  had you been reading for two hours?

8. Which picture had you been painting for two weeks?

9. What had they been doing there for two days?

10. Where had the children been playing since morning?




To Sum Up : 

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense
is used :

--- to describe an action in the past that had begun and had been going on for sometime before another action took place in the past.

Boys had been learning their lesson when the teacher came in the class.
She had been singing a song when her father returned.

---- to express repeated action in the past.

The lady had constantly been reminding them.
The boy had been trying to get admission in the school.

--- to describe an action which started before the time of speaking in the past. It either stopped before that time or continued upto it.

Boy have been playing a match since morning.
The child has been weeping for the last half an hour.

EXERCISE NO  1

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. What ....... you ....... ........(worry) about all these days?

2. ..........how long ......... you .......  ........ (wait) for him?

3. Where ........ they ....... living .....  the last two years?

4. Who ......  ......... (teach) you this subject ........ January?

5. Whose story ........ she....... ..........(tell) the children ..... two hours?

             

EXERCISE NO  2

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. We .....   ....... (wait) for you .....two hours.

2. The boys ....... ........ (play) football ........ morning.

3. The child ........  ...... weeping bitterly ...... half an hour.

4. It ....... ....... (rain) heavily ........ 7 a.m.

5. She ...... ......(watch) television ....... two hours.

EXERCISE NO  3.

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. We ........ not ...... ........(live) in this city .... two years.

2. She ...... not ....... ......... (play) on flute ........ morning.

3. They ...... not ...... .......(visit) us ....... the last two months.

4. I ....... not ...... ......(go) to my office ...... the last three days.

5. You ..... not ...... ......(take) your medicine for two days.

EXERCISE NO  4.

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. ....... you not ....... .......(accompany) her to the club ....two months?

2. ........ the dogs not ....... ........(bark) ....... the whole night?

3. ........the hunter ....... .......(hunt) in the forest ...... morning?

4. ........he ....... .........(learn) his lesson ...... two hours?

5. .......you ...... ....... (wait) for them ...... the last two hours?

EXERCISE NO  5.

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

She ........ .......  ...... (live) in 

this house....... the last so many

years. She ........ .....   (live) 

with her husband ........ 

more than a decade or so. 

Her husband ....... .......  

(run) a factory ....... the last

 five years. She too .... ....... 

(work) in an office ...... the 

last four years. They ....... 

....... (lead) a happy married

 life ........ more than a  

decade.  But she ...... .......... 

(live) in distress ......  the 

last couple of years. Her 

son ........ not ........... (live) 

with her ......... the last a 

couple of years. He ....... 

....... (live) with his wife in 

another city ......... two 

years. She ......  ..... (feel) 

depressed since then. She 

.......  ....... (feel)  lonely..........

 her son left. In the beginning she ........  ......... 

(wait) for her son

......  a few months to return but now she has lost the hope and  has consoled herself.

 

(ANSWERS)

EXERCISE NO  1

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. What had you been worrying about all these days?

2. For how long had you been  waiting for him?

3. Where had they been living for  the last two years?

4. Who had been teaching you this subject since  January?

5. Whose story had  she  been  telling the children for two hours?

             

EXERCISE NO  2

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. We had been waiting for you for two hours.

2. The boys had been playing football since morning.

3. The child had been weeping bitterly for half an hour.

4. It had been  raining  heavily since 7 a.m.

5. She had been watching television for two hours.

EXERCISE NO  3

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. We had not been living in this city for two years.

2. She had not been playing on flute since morning.

3. They had not been visiting us for the last two months.

4. I had not been going to my office for the last three days.

5. You had not been taking your medicine for two days.

EXERCISE NO  4

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

1. Had you not been accompanying her to the club for two months?

2. Had the dogs not been barking for the whole night?

3. Had the hunter been hunting in the forest since morning?

4. Had he been learning his lesson for two hours?

5. Had you been waiting for them for the last two hours?

EXERCISE NO  5.

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of given verb in Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

She had been living in this house for the last so many years.She had been living here with her husband for more than a decade or so. Her husband had been  running a factory for the last five years. She too had been working in an office for the last four years. They had been leading a happy married life for more than two  decades.  But she had been living in distress for the last a couple of years. Her son had not been living with her for the last a couple of years. He had been living with his wife in another city for two years. She had been feeling depressed for some time back. She had been feeling lonely since her son left. In the beginning she had been waiting for her son   for  a few months to return but now she has consoled herself.

                                  

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