Past Perfect continuous Tense

Identification of the Tense: - The event was happing for a long time back. Ex:-

1. Rajiv had been going to school for last one year.
2. I had been playing football since morning.
3. He had not been studying for a few days.
4. Had they been living here for a long time now?

There was continuity in the happening of all the events in the recent past for a long time in above examples.

Usage: - In Past Perfect Continuous Tense we usually use 

1. First form of the verb + ing and
2. had been (with singular  as well as plural or I)
3. Since if point of time is given/for if duration of time is given.

Ex:- Since 1988 (point of time)/ for 22 years (duration of time)

Explanation:-

In the first sentence "Rajiv had been going to school for last one year."
Rajiv the singular noun in this assertive sentence is followed by helping verb had been which in tern followed by first form of the verb go + ing. For in the sentence is being used for representing duration of  time i.e one year.

In the second sentence"I had been playing football since morning."
I the singular pronoun is followed by had been and first form of the verb play+ing. Since in the entence is being used for representing point of time i.e. morning.

In the third sentence"He had not been studying for a few days?
In this negative sentence had is followed by not which in tern is followed by been. Rest of the rules are same.

In fourth sentence" Had they been living here for a long time?"
In interrogative sentences like this helping verb had preceeds the pronoun followed by been. Rest of the rules of verb and time remains the same

Example sentences in Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

Use of Past Perfect Continuous Tense:-

to express an action that began before a certain time in the past and continued up to that time or stopped just before it.

• The baby had been crying for 15 minutes when the nurse attended to her.
• Until he reached VII class, Roshni had been studying in village school.

to express a repeated action in the past perfect on a continuous action.

• He had tried many times to phone her. (=He had been trying to phone her.)

Practise Exercise for Past Perfect Continuous Tense:-

• Past Perfect Continous Tense Conversation 1
• Past Perfect Continous Exercise 1

Present Tense

• Present Indefinite Tense/ Simple Present Tense
• Present Perfect Tense
• Present continuous Tense
• Present Perfect continuous Tense

Past Tense

• Past Indefinite Tense/ Simple Past Tense
• Past Perfect Tense
• Past continuous Tense
• Past Perfect continuous Tense

Future Tense

• Future Indefinite Tense/ Simple Future Tense
• Future Perfect Tense
• Future continuous Tense
• Future Perfect continuous Tense