Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Tense plays an important role in the English language, and it is mainly applied to describe the time as in future, past and present. In both writing and speaking, the use of tense is quite essential. The role of tense is to describe the action that has already occurred, is in progress, or is about to happen. As tense describes the concept of time and aspect, there are multiple English tenses divisions in grammar. This topic is focused on the Past Perfect Continuous tense, and it explains the activity that was initiated previously and resumed to a particular time previously. 

Discussion

What is Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense, also referred to as past perfect progressive as continuous tense are, also described as progressive. The past perfect tense describes an activity that started previously, resumed to a certain time, and ended previously. This kind of tense is mainly formulated using had been with the present participle form of the verb (ing). An example of this kind of tense is “Jimmy had been walking six miles a day before he fell”.

Compared with the present perfect continuous tense, this past perfect continuous tense is similar but also different. The first kind of tense (present perfect continuous) describes the action that started before and continues till the present. On the other hand, the second kind of tense (past perfect continuous) mainly describes an activity or a task that started before, resumed for a certain period, and ended previously.

Usage of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense is mainly used to describe the activity that was initiated previously, resumed for a certain period, and then ended previously. The usage of this kind of tense in a sentence is quite frequent as it describes an ongoing task that occurred previously. An example of this tense is “He had been working in the company for three years when got the raise”.

It is also used to describe the cause of action and the effect that occurred previously. An example of this tense is “The workers had been working for three days before they got paid”. Furthermore, there are certain situations where past perfect continuous tense is improper; for example, this kind of tense cannot be used with verbs that are non-continuous. Lastly, it is essential to remember that past perfect continuous cannot be used without a proper timeline or duration. In those cases, past continuous tense is used. However, it changes the meaning of the sentence.

Rules of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense is quite different compared to present perfect continuous or past continuous tenses. Compared to the present perfect continuous, it describes the action that started and resumed previously. This tense’s main structure or rule is: had been + present participle form of the verb.

This tense is used in multiple ways with few modifications. First, in forming a negative sentence, the word “not” is added before the verb. Lastly, in cases of forming questions with the past perfect continuous tense, the sentence’s subject is inverted, and the word “had” is added. The examples of this kind of sentence with the past perfect continuous tense are:

Statement: I had been looking for you for over thirty minutes when you finally came.

Question: Had you been looking for me for over thirty minutes before I finally came?

Negative: I had not been looking for you for over thirty minutes before you finally came.

• Conclusion

It can be mentioned that the past perfect continuous tense is quite important for describing a certain duration or a period previously. It mainly describes the activity that started, resumed for a certain time and ended previously. Furthermore, this kind of tense also describes the cause of activity and the effect of the same activity that happened previously. It is like the present perfect continuous tense; however, it is still different. In certain situations where past perfect continuous tense is improper; for example, this kind of tense cannot be used with verbs that are non-continuous. Lastly, it is essential to remember that past perfect continuous cannot be used without a proper timeline or duration. In those cases, past continuous tense is used. However, it changes the meaning of the sentence.  moreover, it is quite important in English.