Past Perfect Continuous Tense

 

The past perfect continuous tense (also known as the past perfect progressive tense) shows that an action that started in the past continued until another time in history. The past perfect continuous tense is constructed using had been + the verb’s present participle (root + -ing).

Unlike the present perfect continuous, which indicates an action that began in the past and continued up to the present, the past perfect continuous is a verb tense that means something that started in the past, continued in the past, and ended at a defined time point in the history.

Example: He had been drinking milk out of the carton when Mom walked into the kitchen.

When, for, since, and before are words you may see used alongside the past perfect continuous tense.

Example: Martha had been walking three miles a day before she broke her leg.