The Past Perfect Continuous Tense: had+been+v-ing
We use Past Perfect Continuous for:
| • an action which began before a definite moment in the past, continued up to that moment and was still going on at that moment (often used with for/since) • an action which was no longer going on at a definite moment in the past but had been in progress not long before |
| Study the examples: 1. She had been speaking on the phone for half an hour by the time he arrived. |
| 2.There were puddles on the street. It had been raining at night. |
53. Watch this video and note down how the Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used. Try to explain the difference between the Past Perfect Tense and the Past Perfect Continuous Tense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXXtNR7JCzY
54. Study the following examples and explain the meaning of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense. Translate them into Russian if necessary.
1. It was so difficult to get up last Monday for school. I had been working on my essays the night before and I was very tired.
2. A:Why did you decide to go travelling for a year?
B:Well, I’d been reading an amazing book about a woman who rode a horse around South America. I was just halfway through the book when I decided I had to go travelling and that was it. I just took a year out of work and went.
3. It had been snowing all night and the ground was covered in snow when we woke up.
4. The phone had been ringing for ages before I answered it.
5. He had been working for 40 years by the time he retired.
6. Though she had been preparing for her MBA exams for 2 years, she didn’t pass them.
55. Choose a better option.
1. Climate scientists said that tourism had caused/had been causing over 8 percent of greenhouse gases.
2. The researchers said that air travel had already created/had already been creating more CO₂ emissions than other areas of tourism.
3. The BBC news agency said the potato chip maker had improved/had been improving their packaging to make it easier to recycle.
4. The company spokesman said that they had worked hard/had been working hard to come up with a new can which was recyclable and kept chips fresh.
REVISION AND CONSOLIDATION EXERCISES
56. The following irregular verbs have been grouped into “families”. Add more verbs to each group according to the number of changes that occur, their endings or by pronunciation. This may make them easier for you to learn.