Past Perfect Progressive Tense
Past Perfect Progressive is not a very common tense in English. But you should know it well, and understand it when it is used.
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How do We Use the this Tense?
PERFECT here means "complete, finished".The Past Perfect Progressive is a form of the verb that shows the action started in the past and continued up until another time or action in the past.
It does not mean the action was "perfect" (100%). It means the action was finished.
Here
are the
different usages of this tense:
For example: Sam had been driving all night before he reached home.
The action closest to the present is in the Simple Past, and the action that came before it is in the Past Perfect Progressive.
Make sure you
also read:
An action that started in the past,
and continued up until another time
or action in the past
(The verbs are
in bold)
He had been driving
for hours before he arrived.
He had been carrying
that computer for an hour before he put it down.
He had been fighting
with that machine
for a long time until the mechanic arrived.
They danced so nicely because they had been practicing.
He had been exercising so he could lift it easily.
He fell asleep because he
had been working all night.
Examples of
Typical Time Expressions
- For
- Since
- All morning
- All day
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