Past Perfect Continuous

The Past Perfect Continuous is very similar to the Past Perfect . The difference
between them is we use the Past Perfect Continuous to express longer actions than in the
Past Perfect. In addition, while using this tense we focus on the duration of an activity
rather than the result of it.

Use:
1. Duration of a past action up to a certain point in the past.

Structure:

In positive sentences:

Subject + Auxiliary verb + Auxiliary verb + Verb + ing

 I/a dog etc. had been going/swimming

I had been running for an hour when it started ranining.

When I saw him I knew that he had been traning.

In questions:

Auxiliary
verb
+ Subject + Auxiliary verb + Verb + ing

had I/a dog etc. been going/swimming

For how many hours had Fred been painting the house when the ladder fell?

In negative sentences:

Subject + Auxiliary verb + Auxiliary verb + Verb + ing

I/a dog etc. hadn't been going/swimming

Examples: Rarely used