Lesson on the Past Perfect Continuous (I had been studying for hours)

In this lesson, Mark explains the past perfect continuous tense, which is used to describe actions that happened progressively in the past before another action. He provides examples and compares it with the past continuous tense, highlighting the differences in emphasis on duration versus interruption. The lesson includes the formula for constructing sentences, forming questions, and making negative statements. Mark concludes with a recap and a question for the audience.

What is the primary use of the past perfect continuous tense?

• To talk about an action that was ongoing in the past before another action.

• To express a habitual action in the present.

• To describe an action that happened once in the past.

• To describe a future action that will happen before another future action.

Which of the following is the correct formula for forming the past perfect continuous tense?

• Subject + have + been + gerund

• Subject + had + been + gerund

• Subject + was + gerund

• Subject + had + been + past participle

Which clause is commonly used with the past perfect continuous tense to indicate the start of an action?

• When

• After

• Since

• Until

How does the past continuous tense differ from the past perfect continuous tense?

• Past continuous is used for future actions.

• Past continuous is used for actions that were interrupted.

• Past continuous emphasizes the duration of an action before another action.

• Past continuous is used for actions that were completed in the past.

What does the sentence 'He was thirsty because he had been running so much' imply?

• He was thirsty because he was about to start running.

• He was thirsty because he had just started running.

• He was thirsty because he had been running for a period of time.

• He was thirsty because he was thinking about running.