The Past Perfect Continuous shows how long an activity had been going on before a later moment in the past, or it explains the cause of a past situation. It is built with had been + verb-ing.
Form
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| subject + had been + verb-ing | I had been waiting for an hour. |
| subject + hadn't been + verb-ing | She hadn't been sleeping. |
| Had + subject + been + verb-ing? | How long had you been working? |
When to use it
- Duration before a past moment: I had been driving for six hours when I stopped.
- The cause of a past result: The ground was wet because it had been raining.
- With for / since / how long / all day.
Examples
- She had been waiting for an hour when the bus came.
- They had been arguing before we arrived.
- His eyes were red because he had been crying.
- How long had he been working there?
- It had been raining all night.
- We hadn't been paying attention.
Common mistakes
- With state verbs: I had been knowing → I had known.
- For a completed result: use the simple form: I had painted the room.
- Forgetting “been”: had waiting → had been waiting.