Past perfect continuous tense in English
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This chapter will discuss the past perfect continuous tense in English. This tense is used to describe actions that were going on in the past until another action in the past occured.
To form the past perfect continuous the past perfect of the verb 'to be' is used followed by the present participle of the main verb (verb + ing).
had been + present participle (infinitive + ing)
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How the past perfect continuous is formed, depends on whether the sentence is:
Structure: Subject + past perfect of 'to be' (had been) + present participle (verb + suffix 'ing') + rest of the sentence
The table below shows the conjugation of the past perfect of the verb 'to be'.
Subject | Past perfect of 'to be' |
---|---|
I | had been |
You | had been |
He / she / it | had been |
We | had been |
You | had been |
They | had been |
Structure: Subject + negative form of the past perfect of 'to be' (had not been) + present participle (verb + suffix 'ing') + rest of the sentence
The table below shows the conjugation of the past perfect of the verb 'to be' in the negative form.
Subject | Conjugation of 'to have'+ negation + 'been' |
---|---|
I | had not been |
You | had not been |
He / she / it | had not been |
We | had not been |
You | had not been |
They | had not been |
Structure: Past perfect of 'to be' (have) + Subject + Past participle of the verb 'to be' ('been') + present participle (verb + suffix 'ing')+ rest of the sentence + question mark
The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions that were going on in the past until another action in the past occurred. The table below shows the different situations in which the past perfect continuous is used.
Situation | Examples |
---|---|
Something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past. |
|
To show cause and effect. |
|
The past perfect continuous refers to an ongoing action in the past until another action in the past occured. This tense is usually accompanied by the following signal words:
Test your knowledge of the present perfect continuous with the exercises below!
Complete the past perfect continuous sentence in English.
Remember:
Example:
you to what she told you? (to listen)
They it all over the news. (to see)
We them every Wednesday. (to visit)
She not very well. (to feel)
I all morning. (to cook)
He this trip since last month. (to plan)
We to the same hairdresser for years. (to go)
You the same shirt for days. (to wear)
I to go to Australia for years. (to want)
You the same shampoo for a couple of months now. (to use)
Fill in the correct form of the English past perfect continuous.
Remember: past perfect continuous = 'had been' + present participle (infinitive + '-ing')
Example:
They for an hour, before she arrived. (to wait)
She was late because she from the train station to her home. (to walk)
I failed the exam, because I not in the exam period. (to study)
We our friend for over an hour, before he answered. (to call)
you in the pool before he arrived? (to swim)
My mother all morning before our guests arrived. (to cook)
they for drinks before you gave it to them? (to ask)
You before he arrived. (to cry)
We took the bus often, because we not to school. (to cycle)
He his trip to Mallorca since 2015. (to plan)
Complete the past perfect continuous sentence in English.
Remember:
Example:
They for jobs since January. (to apply)
She her class since she broke up with her boyfriend. (to fail)
I my knowledge with them. (to share)
you before you came home? (to drink)
We with them in the house. (to stay)
The mailman the mail all day. (to deliver)
You your assignment. (to improve)
She her clothes since she came home last night. (to wash)
Her mother since she left the house. (to worry)
They their child separately. (to raise)
Fill in the correct form of the English past perfect continuous.
Remember:
Example:
They Greek since 2016. (to study)
I to the gym, before I bought a bike. (to run)
he long before the bus arrived? (to wait)
She said she all morning. (to walk)
You not to call her, before she arrived. (to try)
you fries, before you got home? (to eat)
It all day in Paris. (to rain)
John told the police that he for a place to stay. (to look)
We all morning. (to cook)
I in Spain, before I moved to Portugal. (to live)
Complete the past perfect continuous sentence in English.
Remember:
Example:
you to what she told you? (to listen)
They it all over the news. (to see)
We them every Wednesday. (to visit)
She not very well. (to feel)
I all morning. (to cook)
He this trip since last month. (to plan)
We to the same hairdresser for years. (to go)
You the same shirt for days. (to wear)
I to go to Australia for years. (to want)
You the same shampoo for a couple of months now. (to use)
Fill in the correct form of the English past perfect continuous.
Remember: past perfect continuous = 'had been' + present participle (infinitive + '-ing')
Example:
They for an hour, before she arrived. (to wait)
She was late because she from the train station to her home. (to walk)
I failed the exam, because I not in the exam period. (to study)
We our friend for over an hour, before he answered. (to call)
you in the pool before he arrived? (to swim)
My mother all morning before our guests arrived. (to cook)
they for drinks before you gave it to them? (to ask)
You before he arrived. (to cry)
We took the bus often, because we not to school. (to cycle)
He his trip to Mallorca since 2015. (to plan)
Complete the past perfect continuous sentence in English.
Remember:
Example:
They for jobs since January. (to apply)
She her class since she broke up with her boyfriend. (to fail)
I my knowledge with them. (to share)
you before you came home? (to drink)
We with them in the house. (to stay)
The mailman the mail all day. (to deliver)
You your assignment. (to improve)
She her clothes since she came home last night. (to wash)
Her mother since she left the house. (to worry)
They their child separately. (to raise)
Fill in the correct form of the English past perfect continuous.
Remember:
Example:
They Greek since 2016. (to study)
I to the gym, before I bought a bike. (to run)
he long before the bus arrived? (to wait)
She said she all morning. (to walk)
You not to call her, before she arrived. (to try)
you fries, before you got home? (to eat)
It all day in Paris. (to rain)
John told the police that he for a place to stay. (to look)
We all morning. (to cook)
I in Spain, before I moved to Portugal. (to live)
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Hi! My name's Renata. Born and bred in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Languages are what I'm best at. I've studied Russian at college but as luck would have it I got a job as an English teacher after graduation and that's what I've been doing for the past ten years. I worked in a private school where I taught English for 6 years. After that, I started my own small business offering translation, teaching and guiding services. I'm also a licensed tour guide for the City of Zagreb. For the past year, I've been doing online lessons with both children and adults. I currently have 10 students, some of them learn English and some Croatian.
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Renata has over 6 years of teaching experience. She is very kind and patient. Furthermore, she is specialized in teaching Croatian to beginners. She has a wide variety of interactive learning materials.
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I will start were you are … ABC's, colours, numbers and beginner reading OR reading with comprehension, grammar and sentence structure or just plain communication focusing on pronunciation, tenses, and general grammar.
For the little ones I use flash cards, puppets, star chart, etc to keep them involved and interested in the lesson. For the older students I find out where their interests lay, and what their requirements are, and work my lessons around that. As long as you are interested, you will learn.
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Hey everyone!
My name is Ashlyn, and I am a native English speaker from New Zealand :) I love to create lessons for my students to help them make their English language journey as enjoyable as possible! I am an online university student studying history and social anthropology.
I have two years of teaching experience in private English language schools, and I also have a CELTA certificate. Therefore, I know how to teach English effectively and create lessons to practice speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills.
I love to use technology in the classroom, and I always create fun and colourful PowerPoint presentations to guide us through the lesson. I am always open to suggestions from my students. If you want to focus more on certain topics or activities, I am happy to make that possible for you.
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I would like to recommend Ashlyn P. as an English language teacher. She is a great English teacher : patient, reliable, professional and very motivated. Her classes are very interesting : I have possibility to practice speaking and grammar, I always receive feedback about my mistakes and we practice the problems that are most difficult for me. She is also a very friendly and easy - going person. I am very happy with my decision to study online and I would recommend her to any online student who wants to improve his language skills.
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Why in this way? Because my students have the best results when they are able to speak in English as soon as possible. Then, when you can converse in English and understand simple conversation you can develop all your language skills very quickly.
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For others they need to learn specific vocabulary for their work, I have given courses in business, medicine and tourism that can be adapted for all types of work situations.
I am teaching students from 3 to 70 years old and my lessons are adapted for every individual so they have the best opportunity to realize their goals.
If you are interested then please contact me for a chat and a free trial lesson.
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I met Jason about a year ago and immediately I really liked his teaching method, his patience, his ability to carry out lessons that are always different and never monotonous and, above all, his suggestions and continuous encouragement to improve. He is truly a great teacher!
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Hello!
I'm Elena and I am here to support your learning journey while having interesting and funny conversations. My intention is to teach with kindness and positive energy using creative and entertaining approaches based on your needs and interests. I love teaching kids and youngsters: I will bring my puppets and my magic box full of surprises!
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I liked the conversion we had - teacher changed topic few time topic in the right direction and it help very much for speaking.
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My education is :
Master in Art & Businees George Washington University
Tesol certifiction from Wordl Academic London UK 2.020
Br degree in Accountant Catholic University America .
Working for more than 8 years teaching ESL as second Language in : USA , UK , Latin America , Spain .
My teaching methods are : Using American Learning Program explain :
Subject + verb + Complement
and learning : nouns , verb , adjetive , adverb , modals , in general preparation TOEFL test .
Addicional I am preparing Power Point material to help you .
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Reader American Family Book ( Level begginer and advanced )
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Mirna has a lot of teaching experience. She is patient and teaches Spanish grammar among other things. She can also help you with your business language.
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I find that Beth was so easy to talk. I m always nervous when I speak English but talking to Beth I am not nervous because she has this power to let me just speak. She won’t rush to finish even the time is almost up. Is good. Hoping to take her class more and more. Her accent is easy to hear too!
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My name is Alessia and I currently live in Italy. I spent a few years in the United States where I deepened my knowledge of English and American dialects. I am currently specializing in Spanish and German. Over the years, I have given private lessons in Italian, English, Spanish, and Japanese, with Japanese being the most requested at the moment. Regarding Japanese, I had the opportunity to teach the language at an American college with a native Japanese teacher, applying the method that they use to learn their own language. I will help you in a simple way; conversation is really important for learning a language, and a good method is even more fundamental. No days spent on textbooks are needed; consistency and fun during lessons are the most important parts of learning. You will see results right away! I am patient, flexible, and will adapt in every way to your personal needs. I look forward to seeing you on my profile for a trial lesson and discovering an easy and fun method to learn a language as soon as possible.
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Alessia is a really nice teacher with a lovely personality. It was very helpful. I recommend her for anyone, child or adult. Thank you
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*I worked at international colleges, language courses and online teaching platforms since 2005.
**I'm writing doctorate thesis about teaching Turkish to foreigners.
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She's very smart, professional, and pretty. She quickly understood my need as a learner and I had fun talking with her. She creates an atmosphere in class that makes students feel free to speak. Will book again.
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My name is Alexis Joseph, I am a TESOL/ TEFL Certified teacher with a Bachelor’s degree in Education Major in Modern Languages, a postgraduate degree of Specialization in Teaching English as a Second Language and a Master's degree in Science of Education Major in School Management and I am very interactive and dynamic.
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Hi! My name's Renata. Born and bred in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Languages are what I'm best at. I've studied Russian at college but as luck would have it I got a job as an English teacher after graduation and that's what I've been doing for the past ten years. I worked in a private school where I taught English for 6 years. After that, I started my own small business offering translation, teaching and guiding services. I'm also a licensed tour guide for the City of Zagreb. For the past year, I've been doing online lessons with both children and adults. I currently have 10 students, some of them learn English and some Croatian.
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Renata has over 6 years of teaching experience. She is very kind and patient. Furthermore, she is specialized in teaching Croatian to beginners. She has a wide variety of interactive learning materials.
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My aim is to help as many people achieve their goal of learning English. 10+ years of tutoring experience(classroom and 1-1). Have taught from kindergarten to senior secondary as well as doing communication and pronunciation correction with adults.
I will start were you are … ABC's, colours, numbers and beginner reading OR reading with comprehension, grammar and sentence structure or just plain communication focusing on pronunciation, tenses, and general grammar.
For the little ones I use flash cards, puppets, star chart, etc to keep them involved and interested in the lesson. For the older students I find out where their interests lay, and what their requirements are, and work my lessons around that. As long as you are interested, you will learn.
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Susan is a new teacher and eager to help you learn or improve your English. She is very patient, and you'll surely feel comfortable in her presence.
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Hey everyone!
My name is Ashlyn, and I am a native English speaker from New Zealand :) I love to create lessons for my students to help them make their English language journey as enjoyable as possible! I am an online university student studying history and social anthropology.
I have two years of teaching experience in private English language schools, and I also have a CELTA certificate. Therefore, I know how to teach English effectively and create lessons to practice speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills.
I love to use technology in the classroom, and I always create fun and colourful PowerPoint presentations to guide us through the lesson. I am always open to suggestions from my students. If you want to focus more on certain topics or activities, I am happy to make that possible for you.
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I would like to recommend Ashlyn P. as an English language teacher. She is a great English teacher : patient, reliable, professional and very motivated. Her classes are very interesting : I have possibility to practice speaking and grammar, I always receive feedback about my mistakes and we practice the problems that are most difficult for me. She is also a very friendly and easy - going person. I am very happy with my decision to study online and I would recommend her to any online student who wants to improve his language skills.
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Oksana is a very experienced teacher. She has written several Russian course books. Since she is a native speaker, she can teach you more than only the language. Her classes also include culture, she adjusts her classes to your needs. She is an enthusiastic teacher, ready to help you learn a new language!
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