Past Perfect Continuous exercises

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Type 1: Multiple Choice (ABC)
Choose the correct option (A, B, or C) to complete each sentence.
1
She ___ (work) at the company for ten years before she got promoted.
2
They ___ (argue) for hours before they finally reached an agreement.
3
I ___ (wait) for over thirty minutes when the train finally arrived.
4
By the time we found the restaurant, we ___ (walk) in circles for ages.
5
He ___ (not/sleep) well before he changed his mattress.
6
We ___ (explore) the cave for nearly an hour when we discovered the hidden chamber.
7
She ___ (study) all night, so she was exhausted during the exam.
8
They ___ (live) in that village for decades before the flood forced them to leave.
9
He ___ (not/exercise) regularly before the doctor warned him.
10
She ___ (search) for her passport when she found it in her bag.
11
We ___ (drive) for six hours when we finally saw a sign for the hotel.
12
The journalist ___ (investigate) the case long before the police took action.
13
What ___ you ___ (do) before you got the call?
14
___ they ___ (argue) before you entered the room?
15
Why ___ she ___ (cry) before the guests arrived?
Type 2: True / False Statements
Check the sentence. Select True or False.
1
She had been working at the company for ten years before she got promoted.
2
They had been argue about money for hours before they made peace.
3
I had been waiting for the bus when it suddenly started snowing.
4
He had been not sleeping well for weeks before he saw a doctor.
5
We had been exploring the forest for hours before we found the river.
6
Had you been working on the presentation before the deadline changed?
7
She was been crying before I arrived.
8
They hadn’t been practicing enough, so their performance was weak.
9
I had been go to that café every day before it closed.
10
Why had she been avoiding me before the meeting?
11
We had working on the report before the manager called.
12
By the time the guests arrived, I had been cooking for three hours.
13
He hadn’t been feeling well lately, so he stayed home.
14
Had they being travelling together before the accident?
15
She had been study abroad when the pandemic started.
Type 3: Fill in the gaps
Fill in the gaps using the correct form of the verb.
1
She on the book for years before it was finally published.
2
They to each other before the meeting.
3
How long she before the race?
4
I anxious because I had been waiting for hours.
5
He engineering before he changed his major.
6
We efficiently before the new manager arrived.
7
they the event for long before it was cancelled?
8
She for apartments before she found the perfect one.
9
I regularly before I joined the gym.
10
Why you my messages before yesterday?
11
The cat under the bed for hours before it came out.
12
They attention during the whole lecture.
13
What he before the boss arrived?
14
I my thesis before the power went out.
15
She to fix the printer all morning when the technician came.

Common mistakes learners make during Past Perfect Continuous practice

To improve your English and become better at this intermediate grammar, you need to learn about the typical mistakes students make when doing Past Perfect Continuous exercises with answers. Below, you will find the top 3 of them; avoiding them will help you pass the test easily. 

Confusing tenses 

The Past Perfect Continuous is commonly misused for the Past Continuous. It is essential to remember that the Past Perfect Continuous is used for the action that started at some point in the past, and it lasted until another moment (in the past as well). 

You can use Koto English to master your English and avoid making this mistake when doing tests or speaking. 

Incorrect Correct
Maria was baking a pie for an hour when Fred came home.
Maria had been baking a pie for an hour when Fred came home.

Forgetting “been”

Sometimes, it is easy to skip the part of the grammar structure, whether it is a “had” or “been.” Here, you need to remember that the formula looks like had + been + verb (-ing). 

Incorrect Correct
They had waiting for the exam results for a month.
They had been waiting for the exam results for a month.

Putting stative verbs into -ing form

When doing a Past Perfect Continuous tense test, you can meet sentences with these verbs, like love, hate, believe, know, and understand, and they are quite tricky. 

Incorrect Correct
I had been hating broccoli for years.
I had hated broccoli for years.

With these errors in mind, you will recognize such uncertain moments in activities and pass the test effortlessly. 

Simple tips to prepare for a Past Perfect Continuous test

You need to regain your focus before taking a quiz, and with tips from top learners who took exams firsthand, it will be easier. 

Tip 1.  Learn time expressions

The Past Perfect Continuous exercise will be a walk in the park if you remember words that indicate which tense you need to use. For example, if you see the words for, since, until, by the time, all day/morning and related, it indicates that you may need the PPC tense. 

Tip 2.  Practice daily

If you are short on time, like a full-time worker, but still have to pass that test, turn to short, everyday quizzes. For example, when studying English with our website, you can finish bite-sized activities that take up to 10 minutes, and keep your progress.

Tip 3.  Use the algorithm

Here is a little trick that may help you with a Past Perfect Continuous practice: you need to answer three questions.

  • Did one action start before another in the past? 
  • Is there a visible result of an action? 
  • Did this action last for a while? (Use time expressions you know).

Remember to make your learning path engaging and not overwhelming, so you will be motivated to study new grammar and vocabulary.

How does a regular Past Perfect Continuous quiz boost long-term progress?

Consistency, even with small exercises, builds prolonged success. Even if you have time for 1-3 activities daily, it will bring you better accuracy on harder exams. Here is how it works with this tense: 

  • Usage understanding. The Past Perfect Continuous is advanced grammar, which can be improved through Past Perfect Continuous tense exercises with answers that develop your ability to understand in which situations to use this tense, how, and why. 
  • Correct sentence structure. You will master this grammar and will be able to use it in the right way, without making the common mistakes we described above. 
  • More confidence. Imagine that you open a test sheet, see a Past Perfect Continuous assignment, and you know how to write it correctly. Sounds good, and that’s one of the main benefits of regular practice. 

Moreover, you can become more fluent and comfortable when communicating with foreigners online and on forums, and memorize grammar concepts and use them flawlessly.  

What Past Perfect Continuous activities can help you improve faster?

There are numerous kinds of workouts that take place in learning English, and for you, it is advisable to use some of them that fit your goals and expectations. Here, you will find the core types of exercises in a common Past Perfect Continuous worksheet:

Type Implementation Pros Example

Gap-fill

It is a perfect way to learn grammar through written texts, reinforcing how the Past Perfect is used.
  • Practice correct sentence structure
  • Enhance the usage and understanding of time markers

He ______ Math for two years before he applied for this scholarship.

Continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action that continued to some point in the past.
  • Improve focus on the text

had been studying  

Find a mistake

Errors are common in the learning process, so this kind is used to make you more confident.
  • Spot and fix the tense form
  • Find similar structures
  • Understand the difference between similar tenses

Incorrect:   I was being working out all morning before the work started.

Correct:   I had been working out all morning before the work started.

Word order

The Past Perfect Continuous tense has a tricky and unique structure that can be learnt with this type of exercise.
  • Improve skills in grammatical accuracy
  • Gain confidence in daily communication
  • Enhance understanding skills for tests

had / working / she / been / class / quietly / in / before / the / left / I

She had been working quietly in the class before I left

Conclusion 

After finishing the Past Perfect Continuous quiz above, you can check your answers and see if there are any moments to be practiced a little more. Further, you can use this new battle-tested knowledge to talk with your friends on WhatsApp, prepare for more advanced grammar, write your own Instagram post, make a video, and more. 

Keep practicing with KotoEnglish, use the content from our methodologists, and we will see you in the next material.