PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

S + had been + Ving (+)
S + had + not + been + Ving (-)
Had + S + been Ving? (?)
Examples:
• We had been waiting here for more than two hours when he finally arrived.
• Had you been waiting here for more than two hours when he finally arrived?
• We had not been waiting here for more than two hours when he finally arrived.


We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past.

Examples:
• They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
• Alice had been working at that company for five years when it went out of business.
• How long had you been waiting to get on the taxy?
• James had been teaching at the school for more than two years before he left for Asia.

Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect.

Examples:
• Jason was tired because he had been working.
• Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
• Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending lesson.