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Past perfect progressive

Forms​

Grammar

had been + -ing

  • I had been working.
  • Where had she been staying?
  • They hadn’t been listening.
note

For double letters in words like sitting, stopping, (see here).

Use​

We use the past perfect progressive to talk about actions or situations which had continued up to the past moment that we are thinking about, or shortly before it.

  • At that time we had been living in the caravan for about six months.
  • When I found Emily, I could see that she had been crying.
  • I went to the doctor because I had been sleeping badly.

how long? past perfect progressive, not past progressive​

We use a past perfect progressive, not a past progressive, to say how long something had been happening up to a past moment.

  • We’d been walking since sunrise, and we were hungry. (not We were walking since sunrise …)
  • When she arrived, she had been travelling for twenty hours. (not … she was travelling …)
note

For the difference between since and for, (see here).

Progressive and simple: differences​

Progressive forms are mostly used to talk about more temporary actions and situations. When we talk about longer-lasting or permanent situations we prefer simple forms. Compare:

  • My legs were stiff because I had been standing still for a long time.
  • The tree that blew down had stood there for 300 years.

Progressive forms generally emphasise the continuation of an activity; we use simple tenses to emphasise the idea of completion. Compare:

  • I had been reading science fiction, and my mind was full of strange images.
  • I had read all my magazines, and was beginning to get bored.

Some verbs are not normally used in progressive forms (see here), even if the meaning is one for which a progressive form would be more suitable.

  • I hadn’t known her for very long when we got married. (not I hadn’t been knowing her …)