Past Perfect Progressive
- The Past Perfect Progressive connects 2 points in time in the past together. Typically we relate to a point in time in the past and what progressive activity\action\process preceded it. This tense is used to provide a more comprehensive picture of an occurrence\period in the past.
- Let’s examine the following sentence: “By 2016, I had been working for this company for 3 years”. The speaker provides background information and relates to what progressive activity preceded 2016. This could be a way of saying that he was experienced by that year or had relevant experience that helped him with a certain event at work that took place in 2016. We connected two points in time in the past together - 2016 and what came before it in the context of this person’s job.
We use the Past Perfect Progressive to talk about:
- An extended process activity that had just stopped which had a result in a certain point in the past
- Ongoing processes actions that effected a point of time in the past
- How long an activity has been going on from the past until the present
- Guessing a recent activity that's been going on or has just stopped from what we can see hear smell etc
| I'd been walking on the Blvd. all morning, I was exhausted, I didn't have the energy to go and play basketball with my friends when they called and asked me to come. (extended activity that just stopped) | She had been working in the garden since 14:00, her back hurt, that's why she couldn't help you move apartments last Sunday when you called. (extended activity that just stopped) |
| I remember that time, it was just after Passover, He had been working hard on the website and it started to look great. (ongoing recent process with effect) | It was towards the end of the year, she had a dancing audition coming up and She'd been exercising a lot, she was in great shape. (ongoing recent process with effect) |
| I had been working for Bright English for 3 years. Before taking a job as a high school teacher (activity – how long) | He had been speaking to Jack for half an hour before he finally gave up and stopped trying to convince him to join us. (activity – how long) |
| He smelled of alcohol and was walking funny; I thought he had been drinking. (guessing activity) | It smelled of food and there were pots on the stove, somebody had been cooking. (guessing activity) |
Past Perfect Progressive Structure:
I:
I had been studying at Bright English.
I had not been studying at Bright English.
Had I been studying at Bright English?
We:
Ben and I (we) had been studying at Bright English.
We had not been studying at Bright English.
Had we been studying at Bright English?
You:
You had been studying at Bright English.
You had not been studying at Bright English.
Had you been studying at Bright English?
They:
Ben and Maya (they) had been studying at Bright English.
They had not been studying at Bright English.
Had they been studying at Bright English?
He:
Ben (he) had been studying at Bright English.
He had not been studying at Bright English.
Had he been studying at Bright English?
She:
Maya (she) had been studying at Bright English.
She had not been studying at Bright English.
Had she been studying at Bright English?
It:
It (the computer) had been studying well.
It had not been studying well.
Had it been studying well?
Past Perfect Progressive Rules:
Subject + had + been + verb.ing
- We use had + been + verb.ing to make the Past Perfect Progressive. (I had been talking)
- We use -had- to build questions in the Past Perfect Progressive (see table above).
- We use -hadn’t- to build negatives (see table above).
- We do not use the Past Perfect Progressive with verbs such as understand, own, dis(like), belong, know which describe unchanging states. (I had been liking pizza since I was a kid × incorrect)
- We use the Past Perfect Progressive to emphasize that an activity is ongoing and repeated, while in the Past Perfect Simple the activity happened only once, or on a specified number of occasions.
Common time expressions in the Past Perfect Progressive
by 2008, 2009, by the end of___. etc, before + ביטוי זמן, never, ever, for, since, already, yet, just
