Examples

Here’s the Past Perfect Continuous tense formula with examples at a kid-friendly level:

Formula:

      • Had + Been + Present Participle (verb ending in -ing)

    Examples:

        1. I had been playing with my friends for two hours before my mom called me home. (I started playing two hours ago and was still playing when my mom called)

        1. She had been practicing her dance routine for weeks before the recital. (She started practicing weeks ago and was still practicing until the recital)

        1. They had been working on their puzzle for three days before they finally finished it. (They started working on it three days ago and were still working on it until they finished)

        1. He had been reading his book for an hour before his brother interrupted him. (He started reading an hour ago and was still reading when his brother interrupted)

        1. We had been waiting for the bus for 20 minutes before it finally arrived. (We started waiting 20 minutes ago and were still waiting when the bus arrived)

      Remember

      • Had is the past tense of the verb “have”
      • Been is the past participle of the verb “be”
      • Present Participle is the verb ending in -ing (playing, practicing, working, etc.)

        This tense shows an action that started in the past and continued up to another point in the past. It’s like a story that happened before another story!