Lesson 12 · Lesson guide
Past Perfect Continuous
Hello, my dear student!
Hello again! In Lesson 11 you told stories with three past tenses. Today we add one more: the past perfect continuous, “had been working”.
It answers two questions about the past. How long? “She had been working there for ten years when she got a promotion.” And why? “He was exhausted because he had been working all night.”
You will hear it in Listening when people talk about their careers, see it in Reading passages about changes at work, and use it in Speaking to explain why you made a decision.
See you in the exercises,Your teacher
Your browser has no English voice, so the listen buttons are hidden. Everything is written on the page.
Two jobs of had been + -ing
How long
Duration before a past moment
Use for or since. The past moment is often a when-clause in the past simple.
- She had been working there for ten years when she got a promotion.
- We had been waiting since nine when the manager arrived.
Why
The cause of a past result
Something you could see or feel in the past, and the activity that caused it.
- He was exhausted because he had been working all night.
- The ground was wet. It had been raining.
Simple or continuous
How many → had done
A number of finished things or a state verb (know, own, believe) → past perfect simple.
- By noon, she had written three reports.
- I had known him for years.
Remember!
had been + -ing = an activity that continued up to a past moment. Up to now → have been + -ing.
Useful patterns
had been working for ten years when…
how long + a past moment
had been waiting since nine
since + the starting point
How long had you been…?
the question form
was tired because I had been…
result + cause
hadn’t been sleeping well
the negative
Common mistakes
Not: I have been working there for six years when it closed.Say: I had been working there for six years when it closed.
The moment (when it closed) is in the past → had been.
Not: She had been writing three reports by noon.Say: She had written three reports by noon.
A number of finished things → past perfect simple.
Not: I had been knowing him for years.Say: I had known him for years.
Know is a state verb: no -ing.
Check yourself
“I was tired because I ___ (work) all day.”
“By Friday we ___ (send) 200 emails.” Simple or continuous?
“I’m tired. I ___ (work) since six.” had been or have been?
Now it’s your turn!
8 short parts, each a little harder than the one before. Take your time: mistakes are how we learn.
— Your teacher