Unit 4

Past Perfect Continuous

We use past perfect continuous to talk
:about
 1-an action that was is progress for some time in the past before another past action
interrupted it.
 They had been driving for hours when they finally reached the town.
 I had been waiting for Jane for half an hour before she finally arrived .
 Jennifer had been shopping for hours before she went home.
 Paul hadn’t been working for very long when he got a promotion .
 2-an action that was in progress in the past which affected a later action or state.
 It had been snowing all night so the mountains were completely white.
 Our neighbors had been making a lot of noise so we finally called the police.
 I was board because we had been talking about the same subject all day.
 Time expressions

: The rule • All day all night \week

• For years
• along time
• At the time
• since 2 O’clock
• yesterday

Subject had been ing ).v(

She’d been waiting for hours outside the theatre when he finally
. turned up
 Grammar book p.45
complete the sentences with the past perfect continuous. Use the-1
.verbs in brackets

had been working

1-Billy………………………………………………………on a farm before he moved to the city. (work)
2-Marcia...................................all
had been driving night before she saw the lights of the city.(drive)
hadn’t been sitting
3-I…………………………………….on the rooftop for very long when it started to rain!(not sit )
had been phoning
4-We……………..……………………..The hospital for two hours before the ambulance finally arrived.
(phone)
5-Tim and Wendy ……………………………………..…..tennis
hadn’t been playing for long when Wendy hurt her leg.(not play)
6-Our headmaster…………………………………………...about
had been talking the pros and cons of exams all morning when
there was a sudden power cut.(talk)
 had been showing

had been arguing

had been studying

had been relying

hadn’t been talking
 complete the questions with the past perfect continuous and-3
. the words in brackets. Then complete the short answer

Had Jack been working

he hadn’t.
Had Teresa been cycling
.She had
Had you been studying
.I hadn’t
Had Clare’s classmates been knocking
they had.
 had been looking forward
hadn’t been thinking
had been boasting

had been dreaming

had been complaining