Do you know what the past perfect progressive tense is? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on past perfect progressive tenses, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
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According to Walden, there are many different forms of verbs in the English language.
Subjunctive tense
Simple past tense
Simple future tense
Past progressive/continuous tense
Present continuous tense
Present perfect tense
Simple conditional tense
Present participle tense
Future perfect tense
Past participle tense
Infinitive tense
Present progressive tense
Present indicative tense
Conditional progressive tense
Present perfect progressive/continuous tense
Future progressive tense
Conditional perfect tense
To-infinitive tense
Past progressive tense
Bare infinitive tense
Imperative tense
Simple present tense
Past perfect progressive tense
Past perfect tense
Conditional perfect progressive tense
Gerund tense or gerund phrase
Perfect passive tense
Conditional tense
Present perfect progressive tense
Present perfect continuous tense
Indicative tense
Future perfect progressive tense
Today we will go over the past perfect progressive tense. According to Grammar Monster, the past perfect continuous tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has ended. The duration of an action or duration of a past action is not always specified. Native speakers may find that continuous forms come easy, but non-native speakers need to study it. These can come at the first part of the sentence, middle, or end of a sentence.
The past progressive uses two auxiliary verbs.This verb tense has a main verb and makes use of the past participle of the verb form, also called an ing verb. To form the past participle of the main verb used for most verbs, you add ing. For verbs that end “ie,” change the “ie” to “y” and add “ing” such as lie > lying. With verbs that end “e,” remove the “e” and add “ing” such as ride > riding. Finally, for verbs whose last syllable is written [consonant-vowel-consonant] and is stressed, double the final consonant and add “ing” such as run > running. The past perfect progressive tense can also be used to form a negative version/negative statement, question version/question sentences, affirmative version/affirmative statement, and more. They can refer to something that happened in the past moment or something that has been happening for a duration or amount of time.
What are examples of the past perfect progressive tense?
The past perfect progressive can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of examples of past perfect progressive that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. Take a look at the below list of past perfect progressive examples from Grammar Monster and Ginger:
The client had been waiting for an hour by the time Catherine got to the office.
The jury had not been considering its verdict for very long when the judge effectively ordered them to find Jones guilty.
Which fax message had you been trying to send when the power went off?
He had plenty of energy. He had not been working at the dock at all that afternoon.
She had not been painting the door.
How long had he been waiting?
I‘d been trying to sell my car for six months before I found a buyer
The hikers hadn’t been walking long before they got lost.
How long had the fire been burning before the firefighters arrived?
Sheila had not been dieting for long when she began to lose weight.
Hadn’t the snow been falling for hours before then?
The jury had been considering its verdict for several hours when the judge effectively ordered them to find Jones guilty.
Many people had been asking me to write an autobiography. I thought I’d better tell my story before other people told it for me. (Comedian Michael Palin)
By the time Catherine got to the office, the client had been waiting for an hour.
Why was he so tired? Why had he been working at the dock all afternoon?
Had he been drinking when you found him?
John had been baking a cake.
He had been at his tennis lesson.
Ben had been working for three hours when Rachel came home.
He had plenty of energy. He had not been working at the dock at all that afternoon.
She had been painting the door before the dog scratched it.
She had not been painting the door.
I had been feeding the dogs when I tripped and fell.
He just couldn’t summon the energy. He had been working at the dock all afternoon.
When had she been painting the door?
I was coming home from kindergarten. Well, they told me it was kindergarten. I found out later I had been working in a factory for ten years. (Comedian Ellen DeGeneres)
What had you been doing when you cut your finger?
I hadn’t been feeling well, so I sent him away.
By the time Sam found an umbrella, it had been raining for ten minutes.
The jury had not been considering its verdict for very long when the judge effectively ordered them to find Jones guilty.
Had the manager been complaining about Jim before she fired him?
Simon had not been expecting a positive answer when he got a job.
They had been painting the fence.
I had fed the dogs before I tripped and fell.
Overall, the past perfect progressive tense refers to an ongoing action in the past has ended.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
November 29, 2021
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