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The Past Perfect Continuous


Practice 1: Complete these sentences with the word(s) in brackets using the past perfect continuous. Remember to use contractions ("I'd" not "I had") where possible.


  1. He was sad because all day. (it, rain)
  2. I thought that English for years. (she, study)
  3. I knew that my shampoo. (he, use)
  4. We didn't know where to go because . (we, not, listen)
  5. Before the accident, ? (he, drink?)


Practice 2: Past Perfect Simple or Continuous? Choose the best tense to complete the following sentences. Again, remember to use contractions. And remember that simple tenses are used for states or short, finished actions when we say how many. Continuous is used for long, unfinished or repeated actions.


  1. He was hungry because anything all day. (he, not, eat)
  2. Her hand started hurting because computer games all day. (she, play)
  3. The milk smelt bad because to put it in the fridge. (I, forget)
  4. TV for hours before he fell asleep. (he, watch)
  5. She didn't know that her. (I, always, love)
  6. She was delighted because her wish true. (come)
  7. for 40 years before he decided to stop. (he, smoke)
  8. down with a book when the phone rang. (I, just, sit)


Do you want more practice? If you have 10 minutes free, click here to choose more English grammar to study.