HomePast Perfect Continuous TensePast Perfect Continuous Tense: Definition, Structure Example

Past Perfect Continuous Tense: Definition, Structure Example

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What is the definition of past perfect continuous tense? Structure . Formation of Positive, Negative, Interrogative sentences with examples in English Grammar.

After reading this article, you will be able to make correct past perfect continuous tense sentences in English.

Definition of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense, also called the past perfect progressive tense, is a grammatical verb form in English that describes the duration of a past action continuing in the past.

What Is the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?

The past perfect continuous tense is usually used in a sentence to describe an action that started in the past and continued for a period of time.

It emphasises the duration of the action and is formed by using “had been” after the present participle (verb + ing).

“Since” is used in this past tense to show the point of time, as (since morning, since evening, since night, since 1970).

“For” is used in this past tense to show the period of time, as (for two hours, for five days, for two nights).

Examples:

  • He had been sleeping for two hours.
  • We had been playing hockey since morning.

In these examples, the sentences confirm that the actions continued for a period of time (for two hours) and a point in time (since morning) in the past.

The Full Structure Of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense is formed by using the first form of the verb with (-ing) and the auxiliary verb (had). Moreover, “since” and “for” are also added to this past tense to show time in affirmative sentences, interrogative sentences, and negative sentences.

1. Assertive Sentence Structure of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense Assertive sentences are used to describe a positive statement about an action that was ongoing for a period of time in the past.

The past perfect continuous tense structure of an affirmative sentence is given.

Assertive Formula of Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

Past perfect continuous tense formula of positive sentence is the following;

Subject + (Helping Verb) had + been + 1st form of verb + ing + Object + (since/for)

In the formation of positive sentences, understanding the positive formula for the past perfect continuous tense will help you make correct sentences.

Note Points:

There are some important points to form an assertive sentence in the past perfect continuous; 

  • The auxiliary verb (had) is only used after the subject followed by “been” to indicate the continuous aspect in this tense.
  • “Had” is used with all subjects, singular nouns, pronouns (I, He, She, It) and all plural nouns, pronouns (We, You, They).
  • 1st form of verb” is used after the helping verb with (ing).
  • A full stop (.) is used at the end of a sentence to show a positive sentence in the past perfect continuous.

Assertive Sentences Examples of Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

To form past perfect continuous tense examples of aggressive sentence exercises are given below.

  • Cool breeze had been blowing since morning.

(Subject: Cool breeze, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main verb: blow, Add: ing, Point of time: since morning)

  • He had been going to school since morning.

(Subject: He, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to school, Point of time: since morning)

  • She had been going to college since morning.

(Subject: She, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to college, Point of time: since morning)

  • They had been going to Lahore for two hours.

(Subject: They, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to Lahore, Period of time: for two hours)

  • We had been playing hockey since 5 o, clock.

(Subject: We, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main verb: play, Add: ing, Object: hockey, Point of time: since 5 o, clock)

  • You had been doing duty since night.

(Subject: You, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main Verb: do, Add: ing, Object: duty, Point of Time: since night)

  • I had been waiting for you since evening.

(Subject: I, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main verb: wait, Add: ing, Object: for you, Point of time: since evening)

  • They had been living in this house since 1990.

(Subject: They, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main verb: live, Add: ing, Object: in this house, Point of time: since 1990)

  • Sidra had been plucking the flowers since morning.

(Subject: Sidra, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main verb: pluck, Add: ing, Object: the flowers, Point of time: since morning)

  • He had been watering the plants for two hours.

(Subject: He, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main verb: water, Add: ing, Object: the plants, Period of time: for two hours)

  • It had been raining since morning.

(Subject: It, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main Verb: rain, Add: ing, Point of time: since morning)

  • He had been using lap top for six years.

(Subject: He, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main Verb: use, Add: ing, Object: lap top, Period of time: for six years)

  • The baby had been crying since morning.

(Subject: The baby, Helping Verb: had; Add: been; Main Verb: cry; Add: ing; Point of time: since morning)

  • They had been weeping since evening.

(Subject: They, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main Verb: weep, Add: ing, Point of time: since evening)

  • Pakistan had been progressing in the field of agriculture for many years.

(Subject: Pakistan, Helping Verb: had, Add: been, Main Verb: progress, Add: ing, Object: in the field of agriculture, Period of time: for many years)

These sentences show a past action in the positive statement that started in the past and continued for a period of time.

2. Interrogative Sentence Structure of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense Interrogative sentences are used to ask questions about actions that started a period of time in the past and continued during the action. These sentences are formed with the auxiliary verb “had” before the subject.

The past perfect continuous tense formation of an interrogative sentence is given.

Interrogative Formula of Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

The past perfect continuous tense interrogative formula is the following;

(Helping Verb) Had + Subject + been + 1st form of verb + ing + Object + (since/for)

In the formation of interrogative sentences, understanding the interrogative formula for the past perfect continuous tense will help you construct correct sentences.

Note Points:

There are some important points to form an interrogative sentence in the past perfect continuous; 

  • In interrogative sentence, the auxiliary verb “had” comes before the subject to show a question sentence.
  • “1st form of verb with -ing” is used after the subject with been.
  • A question mark (?) is placed at the end of a sentence to display the interrogative sentence in the past perfect continuous.

Interrogative Sentences Examples of Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

Some examples of exercises for interrogative sentences in the past perfect continuous tense are;

  • Had he been going to school since morning?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: he, Add: been, Main verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to school, Point of time: since morning)

  • Had she been going to college since morning?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: She, Add: been, Main verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to college, Point of time: since morning)

  • Had they been going to school since morning?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: They, Add: been, Main verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to school, Point of time: since morning)

  • Had we been going to market for an hour?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: we, Add: been, Main verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to market, Period of time: for an hour)

  • Had you been doing duty since night?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: You, Add: been, Main verb: do, Add: ing, Object: duty, Point of time: since night)

  • Had he been eating apples for an hour?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: he, Add: been, Main verb: eat, Add: ing, Object: apples, Period of time: for an hour)

  • Had Sidra been plucking the flowers since morning?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: Sidra, Add: been, Main verb: pluck, Add: ing, Object: the flowers, Point of time: since morning)

  • Had Ali been reading the book for three hours?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: Ali, Add: been, Main verb: read, Add: ing, Object: the book, Period of time: for three hours)

  • Had the child been crying since morning?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: the child, Add: been, Main verb: cry, Add: ing, Point of time: since morning)

  • Had they been weeping since evening?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: they, Add: been, Main verb: weep, Add: ing, Point of time: since evening)

  • Had he been living in this house since 1990?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: he, Add: been, Main verb: live; Add: ing, Object: in this house, Point of time: since 1990)

  • Had you been wasting your time for two hours?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: you, Add: been, Main verb: waste, Add: ing, Object: your time, Period of time: for two hours)

  • Had it been raining since morning?

(Helping Verb: Had, Subject: it, Add: been, Main verb: rain, Add: ing, Point of time: since morning)

These sentences indicate interrogative statements that are used to ask questions about whether an action has continued for a specified period of time in the past.

3. Negative Sentence Structure of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense Negative sentences are used to show a negative statement that an action was not happening at some time in the past. To make negative sentences, the word “not” is placed after the auxiliary verb (had).

The formation of past perfect continuous tense for a negative sentence is given.

Negative Formula of Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

The past perfect continuous tense negative formula is the following;

Subject + (H.V) had + not + been + 1st form verb + ing + Object + (since/for)

In the formation of negative sentences, understanding the negative formula for the past perfect continuous tense will help you create correct sentences.

Note Points:

There are some important points to form a negative sentence in the past perfect continuous; 

  • In negative sentences, the helping verb (had) comes after the subject.
  • The “1st form of the verb” with (ing) is used as positive and interrogative sentences in the past perfect continuous.
  • The word “not” is added after the auxiliary verb (had) to show a negative sentence.
  • A full stop (.) is placed at the end of a sentence such as a positive sentence in this past tense.`

Negative Sentences Examples of Past Perfect Tense:

Here are some examples of exercises for negative sentences in the past perfect continuous tense;

  • He had not been going to school since morning.

(Subject: He, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main Verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to school, Point of time: since morning)

  • She had not been going to college since morning.

(Subject: She, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main Verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to college, Point of time: since morning)

  • They had not been going to Lahore since morning.

(Subject: They, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main Verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to Lahore, Point of time: since morning)

  • We had not been going to market for an hour.

(Subject: We, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main verb: go, Add: ing, Object: to market, Period of time: for an hour)

  • You had not been doing duty since night.

(Subject: You, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main Verb: do, Add: ing, Object: duty, Point of time: since night)

  • Akram had not been eating food for an hour.

(Subject: Akram, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main verb: eat, Add: ing, Object: food, Period of time: for an hour)

  • Sidra had not been plucking the flowers since morning.

(Subject: Sidra, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main verb: pluck, Add: ing, Object: the flowers, Point of time: since morning)

  • He had not been watering the plants for an hour.

(Subject: He, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main verb: water, Add: ing, Object: the plants, Period of time: for an hour)

  • It had not been raining since morning.

(Subject: It, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main Verb: rain, Add: ing, Point of time: since morning)

  • Ali had not been reading the book for an hour.

(Subject: Ali, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main verb: read, Add: ing, Object: the book, Period of time: for an hour)

  • The baby had not been crying since morning.

(Subject: The baby, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main Verb: cry, Add: ing, Point of time: since morning)

  • They had not been weeping since evening.

(Subject: They, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main Verb: weep, Add: ing, Point of time: since evening)

  • He had not been living in this house since 1990.

(Subject: He, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main Verb: live, Add: ing, Object: in this house, Point of time: since 1990)

  • He had not been using lap top for six years.

(Subject: He, Helping Verb: had, Negative: not, Add: been, Main Verb: use, Add: ing, Object: lap top, Period of time: for six years)

These sentences express negative statements that the action did not happen or continued during the expected time in the past.

Conclusion:

By focusing on the duration, understanding the formation of the past perfect continuous tense will enable you to describe past event conditions more effectively. By practising its structure, you will improve your English language skills.

It helps to create affirmative or aggressive sentences, interrogative sentences, and negative sentences in English grammar. 

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