by Craig Shrives
What Is the Past Perfect Progressive Tense? (with Examples)
The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has ended. For example:
- John had been baking a cake.
- They had been painting the fence.
Table of Contents
- More Examples of the Past Perfect Progressive Tense
- Forming the Past Perfect Progressive Tense
- Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
- Video Lesson
- Printable Test
More Examples of the Past Perfect Progressive Tense
Here are some more examples of the past perfect progressive tense (shaded):
- She had been painting the door before the dog scratched it.
- The jury had been considering its verdict for several hours when the judge effectively ordered them to find Jones guilty.
- He just couldn't summon the energy. He had been working at the dock all afternoon.
- 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)
- 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)
Forming the Past Perfect Progressive Tense
The past perfect progressive tense is formed:
[subject]
+
"had been"
+
[present participle]
- I had been jumping.
- They had been meeting.
Forming the Present Participle
The last word in each example above (i.e. the [verb] + "ing" part) is known as a present participle. It is formed like this:
Add "ing" to most verbs:
- play > playing
- shout > shouting
For verbs that end "e," remove the "e" and add "ing":
- prepare > preparing
- ride > riding
For verbs that end "ie," change the "ie" to "y" and add "ing":
- lie > lying
- untie > untying
For verbs whose last syllable is written [consonant-vowel-consonant] and is stressed, double the final consonant and add "ing":
- run > running
- forget > forgetting
The Negative Version
If you need the negative version, you can use the following construction:
[subject]
+
"had not been"
+
[present participle]
- She had not been painting the door.
- The jury had not been considering its verdict for very long when the judge effectively ordered them to find Jones guilty.
- He had plenty of energy. He had not been working at the dock at all that afternoon.
Remember that "had not" is sometimes written as the contraction "hadn't."
The Question Version
If you need to ask a question, you can use the following word order for a yes/no question:
"had"
+
[subject]
+
"been"
+
[present participle]
- Had she been painting the door?
- Had the jury been considering its verdict for very long when the judge ordered them to find Jones guilty?
- Why was he so tired? Had he been working at the dock all afternoon?
You can use the following word order for a question-word question:
[question word]
+
"had"
+
[subject]
+
"been"
+
[present participle]
- When had she been painting the door?
- Why was he so tired? Why had he been working at the dock all afternoon?
Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
The tables below show all 12 tenses so you can see the past perfect progressive tense among the other tenses. (You can change the verb by clicking one of the green buttons.)
Top 10 Regular Verbs
Top 10 Irregular Verbs
All 4 Past Tenses
| Person | Simple Past | Past Progressive Tense | Past Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Progressive Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past. |
The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action. |
The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place. |
The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended. |
All 4 Present Tenses
| Person | Simple Present | Present Progressive Tense | Present Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Progressive Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit. |
The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present. |
The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.) |
The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently). |
All 4 Future Tenses
| Person | Simple Future | Future Progressive Tense | Future Perfect Tense | Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future. |
The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future. |
The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future. |
The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. |
Video Lesson
The Other Past Tenses
The past perfect progressive tense is one of four past tenses. This table shows all four of the past tenses:
| The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
|---|---|
| simple past tense | I went |
| pastprogressive tense | I was going |
| past perfect tense | I had gone |
| past perfect progressive tense | I had been going |
Printable Test
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See Also
See all the tensesWhat is a verb phrase?Take a test on the past perfect progressive tenseSimple past tensePast progressive tensePast perfect tenseSimple present tensePresent progressive tensePresent perfect tensePresent perfect progressive tenseSimple future tenseFuture progressive tenseFuture perfect tenseFuture perfect progressive tense
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FAQs
Past Perfect Progressive Tense: Explanation and Examples? ›
The past perfect progressive emphasizes the duration of a past action before another action happened. For example, “I had been smoking for 10 years before I quit.” You form the past perfect progressive by using had been followed by an –ing verb.
What is past perfect progressive tense with examples? ›The past perfect progressive emphasizes the duration of a past action before another action happened. For example, “I had been smoking for 10 years before I quit.” You form the past perfect progressive by using had been followed by an –ing verb.
How do you explain past perfect progressive? ›The past perfect continuous tense (also known as the past perfect progressive tense) shows that an action that started in the past continued up until another time in the past. The past perfect continuous tense is constructed using had been + the verb's present participle (root + -ing).
What are the 10 examples of past perfect progressive tense? ›- My friend had been running for five miles already.
- We had been walking for half an hour.
- Father had been sitting in his favorite chair all morning.
- The students had been standing under the scorching sun.
- The kids had been dancing while the teacher was away.
She has been living in that house for only a year. I have been reading for an hour straight. They have been waiting for the bus for what seems like forever.
What is the rule for the past perfect progressive tense? ›Past Perfect Progressive Tense. The PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates a continuous action that was completed at some point in the past. This tense is formed with the modal "HAD" plus "BEEN," plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "I had been working in the garden all morning.
What is the difference between past progressive and past perfect progressive? ›Past progressive emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas past perfect progressive emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past.
What is past progressive explanation for kids? ›Also known as past continuous tense, the past progressive is a form of the past tense where an action goes on for a period of time in the past. The past progressive is formed by using the past for of the verb 'to be' as an auxiliary verb and by adding the suffix '-ing' to the main verb.
What are 4 sentences in past progressive? ›- He was writing an e-mail when the phone rang.
- When the phone rang, he was writing an e-mail.
- While he was writing an e-mail, the phone rang.
- I was preparing dinner while Melanie was working upstairs.
- While Melanie was working upstairs, I was preparing dinner.
| Event A | Event B |
|---|---|
| I had saved my document | before the computer crashed. |
| Event B | Event A |
| When they arrived | we had already started cooking. |
| Event B | Event A |
What are the 3 types of perfect progressive tense? ›
The perfect tenses describe a finished action. They are present perfect, past perfect and future perfect. The perfect progressive tenses describe an action that was in progress but was then finished. They are present perfect progressive, past perfect progressive and future perfect progressive.
What is an example of a perfect progressive aspect sentence? ›The perfect progressive aspect expresses the end of an ongoing action. The octopus has been eating small crabs. The octopus had been eating small crabs. The octopus will have been eating small crabs.
What is the formula for the perfect progressive tense? ›The present perfect progressive is formed by the following formula: Subject + have + been + present participle of main verb + object. Example: I have been studying English for four years, and I am beginning to enjoy it very much. I have been playing football since ten.
How do you know if a tense is past progressive? ›The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive tense, describes ongoing actions in the past, such as I was writing my research paper all night. It uses the same construction as the present continuous tense except with the past tense of the verb to be.
What is past perfect and present perfect progressive? ›Past progressive – [was/were + present participle (verb+'ing') Past perfect – [had + past participle (verb+'ed')] Present perfect – [has/have + past participle (verb+'ed')] Past perfect progressive – [had been + present participle (verb+'ing')]
How do you distinguish between past simple and past progressive? ›We use the simple past as the narrative form of the past to express completed, sequential actions. We use the past progressive to say what was happening at a particular moment in the past, to set the scene and to emphasise duration of a past action.
How do you learn past progressive sentences? ›| Past Progressive | Example |
|---|---|
| You were reading | You were reading a novel while I was watching TV. |
| He was running | He was running in the park when it started to rain. |
| She was walking | She was walking her dog in the park when she saw her friend. |
Simple Past Vs. Past Progressive. The simple past tense (e.g. worked), referred to often as the past tense, is used to describe a completed action. The past progressive (e.g. was or were working) is used to describe an action that was in progress at some point in the past but has since been completed.
What are two uses of past progressive? ›- actions were in progress at special time in the past. ...
- two actions were happening at the same time (the actions do not influence each other) ...
- together with the Simple Past. ...
- repeated actions irritating the speaker (with always, constantly, forever)
Past Progressive Past action that took place over time or was interrupted by another action Was or were + -ing form of verb I was walking. You were walking. He/she was walking. We were walking.
What are the 10 examples of present perfect tense? ›
- I have written articles on different topics.
- He has read various kinds of books.
- They have played football.
- She has taken coffee.
- He has gone to the library.
- We have shopped in this market.
- We have watched movies in this Cineplex.
- You have shopped in that market.
- Lisa went to the supermarket yesterday.
- Sam cooked a tasty dinner yesterday.
- My brother saw a movie yesterday.
- Last year, I travelled to France.
- I washed the dishes.
- My mother bought a dress for me.
There are six progressive tenses: present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. Some grammarians refer to the progressive tense as the progressive aspect of a verb. The progressive tense shows an “ongoingness” of the action denoted by the verb.
What is the rule of progressive tenses? ›The present progressive (auxiliary verb be + verb ending in -ing) is used to express a current action, an action in progress or an unfinished action: The children are sleeping right now. It is often used for descriptions: Polly is wearing nice shoes today.
What are the three uses of the present perfect progressive? ›- actions beginning in the past and still continuing (focus is on the action) – mostly with since (point of time) or for (period of time) I have been waiting for you since 5 o'clock. ...
- recently completed actions (focus on the action) She has been watching too many videos.
I am > I'm – I'm going to the store in about ten minutes. He is > He's, She is > She's, It is > It's – It's raining cats and dogs. We are > We're, You are > You're, They are > They're – We're catching the 9:00 flight.
What are three examples of the progressive form of verbs? ›| The 4 Past Tenses | Example |
|---|---|
| simple present tense | I go |
| present progressive tense | I am going |
| present perfect tense | I have gone |
| present perfect progressive tense | I have been going |
The present progressive tense shows actions or conditions that are in progress now. Here are two examples: I am running today. The frogs are jumping.
What are 5 sentences in past perfect continuous tense? ›| Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| I had been buying | I hadn't been buying | Had I been buying? |
| You had been buying | You hadn't been buying | Had you been buying? |
| She had been buying | She hadn't been buying | Had she been buying? |
| We had been buying | We hadn't been buying | Had we been buying? |
- I have written articles on different topics.
- He has read various kinds of books.
- They have played football.
- She has taken coffee.
- He has gone to the library.
- We have shopped in this market.
- We have watched movies in this Cineplex.
- You have shopped in that market.
What are 4 examples of present perfect continuous tense? ›
| Examples of Present Perfect Continuous Tense | |
|---|---|
| Pronouns / Nouns | Examples |
| She | She has been working as a doctor for two years. |
| They | They have been working as doctors for two years. |
| It | It has been raining for a week now. |
- have been and have gone.
- Present perfect with time adverbials.
- Present perfect continuous.
- Present perfect for future.
In order to form the present perfect tense, we use the word have or has followed by the past participle of the verb. For regular verbs, the past participle is a form of the verb that ends in -ed, -d, or -t. For example, the past participle of cook is cooked and so the present perfect tense would be have/has cooked.
What are 3 sentences in present perfect tense? ›Examples of the Present Perfect Tense
You have worked as a teacher for two years. We have worked as teachers for two years. He has worked as a teacher for two years. She has worked as a teacher for two years.
- I will have been working.
- You will have been working. ( singular)
- He/She/It will have been working.
- We will have been working.
- You will have been working. ( plural)
- They will have been working.
I have been climbing up this mountain for over two hours. (I started climbing up it two hours ago and at this moment I'm still climbing.) I have been waiting for you since 10 am. I've been thinking about you since you called.
What is the past progressive and present progressive? ›For example 'We were walking' or 'You were sleeping' are all sentences that use the past progressive tense. Present progressive tense is similar, but the verb is changed to 'are' instead of 'were' to make the progression present. For example 'You are sleeping' and 'They are walking'.
What is the rule of progressive tense? ›The present progressive (auxiliary verb be + verb ending in -ing) is used to express a current action, an action in progress or an unfinished action: The children are sleeping right now.
How do you identify progressive tense? ›The progressive tenses are recognizable by the present participle (i.e., the word that ends "-ing"). Here are some examples of verbs in the progressive tenses. He was playing. They were singing.