20 Examples of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense is an important part of English grammar and can be used to express actions that began in the past and continued up until another point in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary verb ‘had been’ plus the present participle of a verb (usually ending with -ing). To help you become more familiar with this tense, this article contains 20 examples of sentences using past perfect continuous.

20 Examples of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

1. She had been waiting for two hours when the bus finally arrived.
2. He had been studying for the exam for weeks before he felt confident.
3. They had been walking in the park for an hour before it started raining.
4. The party had been going on for hours when the police arrived.
5. She had been living in New York for five years before moving to Los Angeles.
6. He had been playing guitar for years before joining a band.
7. They had been dating for six months before they broke up.
8. The company had been operating for ten years before going bankrupt.
9. She had been working at the same job for ten years before getting a promotion.
10. He had been running for an hour before he realized he was lost.
11. They had been arguing for hours before finally reaching a compromise.
12. The children had been playing outside for hours before it got dark.
13. She had been volunteering at the animal shelter for a year before getting hired.
14. He had been driving for hours before he finally reached his destination.
15. They had been discussing the project for weeks before making a decision.
16. The team had been practicing for months before the championship game.
17. She had been saving money for years before being able to afford a trip around the world.
18. He had been taking lessons for a year before performing in the concert.
19. They had been planning the surprise party for weeks before it finally happened.
20. The computer had been running for hours before crashing.

20 Short Sentences of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

1. I had been cooking for an hour.
2. She had been playing tennis for two hours.
3. They had been waiting for the bus for half an hour.
4. He had been running a marathon for two hours.
5. We had been watching the movie for an hour.
6. The children had been playing in the park for three hours.
7. She had been writing her novel for months.
8. He had been practicing his guitar for hours.
9. They had been traveling for days.
10. I had been reading my book for hours.
11. She had been painting the house for days.
12. He had been studying for his exam for weeks.
13. We had been driving for hours.
14. The team had been practicing for weeks.
15. She had been singing for hours.
16. They had been working on the project for months.
17. He had been trying to fix the computer for hours.
18. We had been waiting in line for an hour.
19. She had been teaching the same class for years.
20. They had been planning their vacation for months.

Read More Examples: 50 Sentences of Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Read More: 50 Sentences of Past Perfect Continuous Tense