Helping verb + subject + main verb + object Linking these events: before Interrogative sentences:. Subject + helping verb + (event 1) main verb (past participle form) + link + object + (event 2) main verb (in simple past form)Įxample: The sun had set before the party started.Įvent 1: The sun set (in past perfect tense)Įvent 2: The party began (in simple past tense) In case of two events one happening after the other: Subject+ had + main verb (in past participle form) + objectĮxample: Farah had completed her homework. Subject + helping verb + main verb + object The structure of the sentence: Affirmative sentences:.
The past tense form of ‘to be’ – known as helping verb or auxillary verb. The past perfect tense form of a verb has two parts: Past perfect is also used for actions completed in the recent past, not a very long time ago. Our neighbor had been crashing his car over the weekend.Ĭlearly, the PPC sentences do not make much sense here.Any action or an event that started in the recent past and express idea of completion or occurence, in relation to another event, without an exact time of its completion is in the past perfect tense. Our neighbor had crashed his car over the weekend. Jack had been breaking his arm at the beach. In these instances, PPC is difficult or impossible. Note: Be very careful when the action is short and unrepeated. I had been driving my friend to the mall. I had been stealing money from my boss. We can see a clear difference between past perfect and PPC when the past action is repeated. (He is wearing his running shoes and is very sweaty) My roommate had been running before I came home. (I can see books and papers on the table) John and Mary had been studying when I arrived. The ongoing action has been completed, or almost completed, and there is still evidence of it. PPC is useful for showing the recency of actions. Jessica passed her test because she had been studying for hours. The PPC can also be used to show the results of a past action. The past action doesn’t always have to be interrupted. My doctor had been working all day by the time I came in for my appointment. They had been hiking for hours before I even arrived. I had been eating lunch when the rain started. (interrupted action) (interrupting action) I had been driving for 3 hours when I got a flat tire. The interrupting action is in the simple past. We often see more than one time marker in PPC when the action is interrupted. The duration of the action is more important with PPC, but the basic meaning has not changed. I had been studying for the test all night. I had been eating lunch there for an hour. In these instances, a sentence can be in both past perfect and PPC and the meaning is essentially the same. PPC is used to emphasize the length of a past action. The function of PPC can be difficult to see, but they are important. I had been driving all day by the time he called. 
I had been driving before I stopped for food. I had been driving when I got a flat tire. There are several time markers used in PPC.Īll (morning/afternoon/evening/night/day/week/month/year) ** Be careful of stative verbs used for different meanings. He had been seeing the sunrise this morning. I had been owning the guitar for six years. If you are using a stative verb, the tense should be past perfect. Like the other continuous tenses, PPC does not use stative, or non-action, verbs. Only the main verb (verb-ing) will be different. Remember that ‘had’ does not change with the pronouns. The ongoing action is either completed or interrupted.
The past perfect continuous (PPC) is mainly used to discuss an ongoing action in the past. However, it is important to understand what makes these tenses distinct. A common tactic for learners (and even native speakers) to avoid using these tenses is to substitute them for simple past or past continuous. Many English learners see the past perfect and past perfect continuous as difficult tenses to use.
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