GRAMMAR & STRUCTURE
Past Perfect Continuous

Definition

The past perfect continuous describes a past action that was continuing when another action happened.

Example

Gail had been sleeping for an hour when the telephone rang.

Explanation

The past perfect continuous --

describes an action which is in progress at the time another action happened.
uses the form had + been + verb -ing.
uses "had" as the auxiliary in questions
uses "not" between "had" and "been" in negative past perfect continuous sentences. For example: "I had not been feeling well before I went to the doctor."

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