Past perfect continuous

English grammar 1

EG410

Past perfect continuous

Content

signal words

Aim of the lesson

Exercise

usage

Form

homework

Aim of the lesson

Суралцагчид англи хэлний төгс өнгөрсөн цагийн хэлбэр, хэрэглээний талаарх мэдлэгийг гүнзгийрүүлэн эзэмшиж өнгөрсөн тодорхой нэг цаг хугацаа болон үйл явдлаас өмнө болж өнгөрсөн өөр нэг үйл явдлын үргэлжилсэн хугацааны талаар амаар болон бичгээр өөрийн санаагаа илэрхийлж бусадтай харилцах чадвартай болох

Positive form: Sub+had+been+verb+ing+ob+place+time I had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived. Negative form: Sub+had+not+been+verb+ing+ob+place+time I had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived. Question form: (WH)+had +sub+been+verb+ing+ob+place+time..? Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived?

positive form

Question form

Usage-Хэрэглээ

Duration Before Something in the Past

Result / Cause of Something in the Past

signal words

For The water had been boiling for half an hour before anybody noticed it. In 2014 The Browns had been living in London for twenty years. Since It was now seven o'clock and he was tired because he had been working since dawn. I had been working for Nike since 2005. We had been waiting for Chris since morning when he finally arrived at 4 p.m. When They had been watching TV when the lights went off. She had been working at that company for three years when it went bankrupt. How long How long had you been waiting before she came? How long had you been waiting to get on the bus? How long had you been studying English before you moved to London? Before I had been sleeping for three hours before the alarm clock went off. They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived. James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for London.

Exercises

Examples of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

I had been writing articles on various topics for three hours. He had been reading different kinds of books since morning. They had been playing football in that field before it started to rain. Jane had been gossiping in the coffee shop for two hours. Jeff had been studying in the library before he came to the class. We had been shopping in that shop before we came home. We had been watching a movie in this Cineplex for three hours. You had been shopping in that market before you came home. I had been singing different kinds of songs for an hour last night. I had been listening to melodious songs for two hours. Tom had been traveling around the world since the month of December. They had been playing hockey on that field for three hours. The poet had been writing romantic poems since morning. Had you not been enjoying the concert for three hours? I had not been watching the cricket match on television for two hours. Richard had been practicing to sing the song since morning. I had been helping him to do the task before I started the program. We had been enjoying the program thoroughly for three hours. I had been shopping with my elder brother in the fair since morning.

Exercises

Complete the sentences in the past perfect progressive.

1. Laura needed a break because she .................... (study) all morning.
2. Lorraine ........................... (learn) English for 12 years before she moved to England.
3. I did not go out last night because I ........................... (work) all day.
4. Orla felt fit for the marathon because she ..................... (train) a lot.
5. When I went to see Ms Winter, her secretary told me that she ............. (speak) on the phone for two hours.
6. You got sick because you ............................ (eat) the whole time.
7. The musician .................... (live) in this town for ten years when he became director of the opera house.
8. We .................... (go) out with each other for two years before I met his family.
9. The passengers ................................ (wait) for four hours before the ground staff could finally give them information on the delay of their flight.
10. I .................. (drive) in the wrong direction for an hour before I noticed my mistake.

check

Exercise 5

Complete the conversations with positive and negative forms of the past perfect continuous. A Sam, how long ................................................... the laptop before it started working? (you | repair) B The laptop? It took me five hours to repair it. A I was so tired at the end of the hike! B But ............................................................ so much. (we | not walk) A Why was your shirt full of stains? B .......................................................... my car. (I | clean) A You looked so exhausted. B Really? But .............................................................. so hard. (I | not work) A Why did Sarah get sunburnt? B Because ....................................................... on the beach all day. (she | lie) A Mr. Clark, why were you so annoyed? B Because ........................ to my arguments at all. (they | not listen) A .............................................................. for a long time when you saw the doctor? (you | cough) B Not really. For two or three days. A Miss Jones, how long .................. French when you moved to France? (you | learn) B To tell the truth I'd never learned French before that. A Hi, Sam. Did you talk to Susan at last? B Yes, I did. But .................................. to me for a week before that. (she | not speak) A The police finally caught the bank robbers early in the morning. B I know. ....................................................... for them day and night. (they | look)

key to the exercise

Key with answers Exercise 5 Sam, how long had you been repairing the laptop before it started working? But we had not been walking so much. I had been cleaning my car. But I had not been working so hard. Because she had been lying on the beach all day. Because they had not been listening to my arguments at all. Had you been coughing for a long time when you saw the doctor? Miss Jones, how long had you been learning French when you moved to France? Yes, I did. But she had not been speaking to me for a week before that. I know. They had been looking for them day and night.

exercise

Make past perfect continuous questions.

1. How long ...................................................................... before you crashed? (you | drive)
2. Why were Marion's eyes so red? ..........................................................? (she | cry)
3. The road was covered with snow in the morning. ......................................... all night? (it | snow)
4. How long .................................................................... when you got up? (you | sleep)
5. . ...................................................... my wine? The bottle was nearly empty. (you | drink)
6. How long ............................................................... before you sat the exam? (you | revise)
7. Your hands were covered with chocolate. .............................................. a cake? (you | make)
8. How many days ....................................... when they reached the port? (Bill and Jack | sail)
9. Kate knew all about it. ...................................................... to our conversation? (she | listen)
10. Why were your trousers so dirty? .................................................... on the ground? (you | sit)

check

Homework

I. Make your own 5 sentences for each use. II. Put the verbs into the correct form (past perfect progressive).

1. We ............ (sleep) had been sleeping for 12 hours when he woke us up.
2. They .............(wait) at the station for 90 minutes when the train finally arrived.
3. We ..............(look for) her ring for two hours and then we found it in the bathroom.
4. I ...............(not / walk) for a long time, when it suddenly began to rain.
5. How long ................(learn / she) English before she went to London?
6. Frank Sinatra caught the flu because he ..................(sing) in the rain too long.
7. He......................... (drive) less than an hour when he ran out of petrol.
8. They were very tired in the evening because they ...................(help) on the farm all day.
9. I ...........................(not / work) all day; so I wasn't tired and went to the disco at night.
10. They ......................................(cycle) all day so their legs were sore in the evening.

homework

III. Make the past perfect continuous 1) I (work) all day, so I didn't want to go out. 2) She (sleep) for ten hours when I woke her. 3) They (live) in Beijing for three years when he lost his job. 4) When we met, you (work) at that company for six months. 5) We (eat) all day, so we felt a bit ill. 6) He was red in the face because he (run) . 7) It (rain) and the road was covered in water. 8) I was really tired because I (study) . 9) We (go) out for three years when we got married. 10. It (snow) for three days.

key