Here’s the formula for forming sentences in the past perfect continuous tense, including positive, negative, interrogative, interrogative negative, and sentences with question words (wh- words).
(1) Positive Sentences:
[Subject + had been + ing form og verb + object]
Examples:
- She had been studying English for three hours.
- They had been playing soccer since morning.
- He had been working on the project all day.
- We had been waiting for the train for a long time.
- The dog had been chasing its tail in the backyard.
(2) Negative Sentences:
[Subject + had not been (hadn’t been) + ing form of verb + object]
Examples:
- She had not been studying for long before she gave up.
- They had not been practicing the piano lately.
- He hadn’t been exercising regularly despite his intentions.
- We had not been watching TV all evening.
- The plants hadn’t been receiving enough sunlight.
(3) Interrogative Sentences:
[Had + subject + been + ing form of verb + object + ?]
Examples:
- Had she been waiting for a long time before the bus arrived?
- Had they been traveling around Europe before they settled down?
- Had he been working on the project since morning?
- Had we been studying for the test before we realized it was postponed?
- Had the children been playing in the park before it started raining?
(4) Interrogative Negative Sentences:
[Had + subject + not been + ing form of verb + object + ?] OR [Hadn’t + subject + been + ing form of verb + object + ?]
Examples:
- Had she not been practicing the piano regularly lately? (or) Hadn’t she been practicing the piano regularly lately?
- Had they not been studying for the exam before they heard it was canceled? (or) Hadn’t they been studying for the exam before they heard it was canceled?
- Had he not been waiting for a long time at the restaurant? (or) Hadn’t he been waiting for a long time at the restaurant?
- Had we not been working on the project for weeks? (or) Hadn’t we been working on the project for weeks?
- Had the students not been participating in the science fair? (or) Hadn’t the students been participating in the science fair?
(5) Wh-Word Sentences:
[Wh-word + had + subject + been + ing form of verb + object + ?]
Examples:
- What had she been doing before she received the phone call?
- Where had they been traveling before they arrived here?
- How long had he been working on the report before he finished it?
- Why had we been waiting for so long before we got an answer?
- When had the flowers been blooming in the garden?