20 Examples of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense is a verb form that is used to describe an action or event that started in the past and continued up until a certain point in the past. This tense can be used to show how something progressed over time or to emphasize the duration of an event. The following examples will help you understand how to use this verb form correctly.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

In a past continuous tense, action is expressed which was happening in the past for some time. The time of the action is not important.

For example,

• I was studying when he called me. (The time for studying is not important)
• He was cooking when I arrived. (The time of cooking is not important)

We use the past perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that was happening continuously in the past before something else happened.

For example,

I had been studying for two hours when he called me. (The time for studying is important)

He had been cooking for half an hour when I arrived. (The time of cooking is important)

Examples of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

1. I had been studying for two hours when he called me.
2. He had been cooking for half an hour when I arrived.
3. They had been playing tennis for an hour when it started raining.
4. We had been waiting for the bus for ten minutes when it finally arrived.
5. She had been working on her project for days when she finally completed it.
6. I had been jogging for a while when I suddenly got a cramp in my leg.
7. He had been mowing the lawn for an hour when he ran out of gas.
8. They had been dancing for a while when the music suddenly stopped.
9. We had been swimming for a while when we realized that we were in the wrong pool.
10. She had been studying for her test for weeks when she finally took it.
11. I had been trying to fix my bike for an hour when my mom finally helped me.
12. He had been building that treehouse for months before he finally finished it.
13. They had been arguing for hours when they finally came to an agreement.
14. We had been driving for days when we finally arrived at our destination.
15. She had been eating healthy and working out for months before she saw any results.
16. I had been working on that project for weeks when I finally completed it.
17. He had been studying for his test for months before he finally took it.
18. They had been trying to sell their house for years before they finally found a buyer.
19. We had been searching for our lost dog for days before we finally found him.
20. She had been working at that company for years before she finally got promoted.