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Ls 17. The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Lesson 17. The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

S + had + been + ...ing

SingularPlural
I had been workingWe had been working
You had been workingYou had been working
He had been workingThey had been working
She had been working
It had been working

Use the past perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that was continuous in the past and happened before another past action

I had been working on my house all day before I sat down to play my guitar I have been studying the guitar for many years

After you had been working all day, you went home to study English on the Internet You have been studying English for only a few years

He had been having a good day until a thief came into his apartment, took all his money and tied him up

You can tell she had been sitting in a hot tub for awhile because she was all wet

This little penguin had been living in Antarctica before he was captured and brought to this zoo.

We had been communicating with each other online before we stopped to take a break. We have been using the internet as a means for communication for many years

You had been playing soccer but then your friend came by and you stopped

They had been working for many years, but then they retired