What Is the Past Perfect Progressive Tense?

(with Examples)
The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an on-going action in the past has ended.
Examples of the Past Perfect Progressive Tense
Here are some examples of the past perfect progressive tense (shaded):
She had been painting the door before the dog scratched it.
The jury had been considering its verdict for several hours when the judge effectively ordered
them to find Jones guilty.
He just couldn't summon the energy. He had been working at the dock all afternoon.
Of course, you can also have a negative version:
She had not been painting the door.
The jury had not been considering its verdict for very long when the judge effectively ordered
them to find Jones guilty.
He had plenty of energy. He had not been working at the dock at all that afternoon.
And, the question version:
Had she been painting the door?
Had the jury been considering its verdict for very long when the judge ordered them to find Jones
guilty.
Why was he so tired? Had he been working at the dock all afternoon?

The unfulfilled hypothesis

This refers to a situation which an event might have taken place, but did not, because a condition
was not fulfilled.
The verb of the main clause goes in the past conditional (would have + past participle).
The verb of the conditional clause goes in the past perfect (had + past participle).
Examples:

If you had eaten too much, you'd (you would) have got fatter.

You'd have got fatter if you'd eaten too much.

If everyone had worked fast, we'd have finished in time (but we didn't).

We wouldn't have finished in time unless everyone had worked fast (but we did).

If I had gone to London, I could have visited the British Museum (but I didn't).

If you had visited Scotland, you could have visited Edinburgh Castle (but you didn't).

Unless we'd been very confident of success, we wouldn't have even tried. (But we were confident, we
did try, and we succeeded).

Sometimes, hypothetical conditional statements or unfulfilled hypothetical statementscan be

expressed omitting the word if.
When this happens the subject follows the auxiliary verb in the conditional clause
Examples:
Were the virus to reappear, hospitals would now be ready for it. (open hypothesis)
= If the virus reappeared, hospitals would now be ready for it.
or If the virus were to reappear, hospitals would now be ready for it.
Had I known, I'd never have gone there. (unfulfilled hypothesis; implying "I did go there because I did not know".)
= If I had known, I'd never have gone there.