11 class

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS (I had been doing)

We use Past Perfect Continuous when we talk about:

—                  а situation or activity that happened over а period up to а particular past time, or until shortly

before it.

She had been suffering Tom flu when she was interviewed.

I’d been finishing some work in the garden and hadn't seen Sue come home. Bill had been saving since Christmas to buy a new bike.

—    how long something went on up to а particular past time.

They had been travelling for about 36 hours.

We had been looking at the painting for about ten minutes before we realised who the artist was.

Use the Past Perfect with some verbs that describe states are not often used with continuous tenses, and we use the Past Perfect with these even when we are talking about how long something went on up to a particular past time. Also when we talk about how many times something happened in a period up to a panicular past time, we use the Past Perfect.

I had always believed that it would be easy to get a job.

We had owned the car for 6 months before we discovered it was stolen.

Task 1. Complete these sentences using one of the following. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.

(You will need to use а negative verb form in some cases.)

pay /bills       stay / friends      smoke /cigar    try /o steal the car     attend/ classes    cycle / fast

1.      She returned to the house where she                                                   

2.      Sue until she reached the hill.

3.      By the smell in the room and his guilty expression I could tell that Alex                                    

4.      The principal called Carmen into his office because she                                                          

5.      I had to give Peter some money when I found out that he                                                         

6.      He told the police that he                                    . He said he thought it belonged to his brother.

Task 2. Complete the sentences with appropriate verbs, using the same one for each sentence in the pair. Use the Past Perfect Continuous if it is possible; if not, use the Past Perfect.

apply                                     work           fly               carry

1.       a. She took a bottle from the bag she                                                 all the way from home.

b. The avalanche                                  them 500 metres down the mountain but no-one was hurt.

2.             a. We                                            for visas well before our departure date, but still hadn't heard anything by the day we were due to leave.

b. She                                              for jobs, without success, since leaving university.

3.       a. He                                                   all the way from New York to see me.

b. When the plane was diverted, it                                              from London to Frankfurt.

4.       a. She                                              for the same company since she qualified.

b. He                   finally                      his way up from the shop floor to a management position.