Past Perfect Progressive
Subject + had + been + ing + complements
It is used to emphasise the duration of an action that took place before another action in the past.
When the war broke out, he had been living there for 15 years.
It is used to refer to an action whose duration caused visible results at a later point of time in the past.
They were tired because they had been cleaning the house.
Her eyes were red because she had been crying.
It tells us about the length of the action and the specific point when it ended. It occurs with since or for to specify the duration of the action.
I had been playing for two hours when I fell and twisted my ankle.
Subject + had + been + ing + complements
It is used to emphasise the duration of an action that took place before another action in the past.
When the war broke out, he had been living there for 15 years.
It is used to refer to an action whose duration caused visible results at a later point of time in the past.
They were tired because they had been cleaning the house.
Her eyes were red because she had been crying.
It tells us about the length of the action and the specific point when it ended. It occurs with since or for to specify the duration of the action.
I had been playing for two hours when I fell and twisted my ankle.
It expresses a sense that the action was ongoing and is often used with all day, all night, etc.
Time Expressions used in this tense;
before + point in time
by + point in time
before, after, when, how long, for,
since,
by the time
When the race started, it was raining and the streets were wet. (the action is emphasized)
When the race started, it had been raining for an hour and the streets were wet. (the duration of the action is emphasized)
When the race started, I had already found a good seat to watch the event. (the completion of an action is emphasized)
Compare these two sentences.
When I looked out the window yesterday, everywhere was white. It had been snowing for seven hours.(the action was still going on)
When I looked out the window yesterday, everywhere was white. It had been snowing. (the action was completed, it wasn’t snowing then)
Time Expressions used in this tense;
before + point in time
by + point in time
before, after, when, how long, for,
since,
by the time
When the race started, it was raining and the streets were wet. (the action is emphasized)
When the race started, it had been raining for an hour and the streets were wet. (the duration of the action is emphasized)
When the race started, I had already found a good seat to watch the event. (the completion of an action is emphasized)
Compare these two sentences.
When I looked out the window yesterday, everywhere was white. It had been snowing for seven hours.(the action was still going on)
When I looked out the window yesterday, everywhere was white. It had been snowing. (the action was completed, it wasn’t snowing then)
