Past Perfect Continuous Tense
|
Affirmative |
subject + had been+V4+object |
James had been eating rice. |
|
Negative |
subject + had not been +V4+object |
James had not
been eating
rice. |
|
Interrogative |
Had +subject+ been+V4+object? Wh + had + subject+ been+W+object? |
Had James been eating rice?
What had James been eating? |
|
Passive |
No
passive |
No
passive |
The Past Perfect Continuous tense is used:
(a)For an action that started in the past and continued up until another time in the past:
ü How
long have you been waiting to get on the bus?
ü She
had been working in a hospital before she found a new job.
ü She
had been frying some onions when she burnt her finger.
(b)Before another action in the past to show the effect and cause:
ü Bhim
gained weight because he had been Overeating.
ü Jim
failed the final test because she had not been attending class.
But,
as soon as + past tense is used for the reaction:
ü As
Soon as I opened the door I saw my aunt.
ü As soon as he peeled the banana, he ate it.
(c) as soon as + past perfect tense is used for two action:
• As soon as I
had finished my homework, I left for college.
• As soon as my mother had cooked food, she set the table.
(d) Past tense with 'before' or 'after'
|
1st
action [had+V3] |
before |
2nd
action [V2] |
|
2nd
action [V2] |
after |
1st
action [had+V3] |
ü Laxmi
came home after she had left college.
ü I
had gone college before it started raining.