She Anita
It raining -
before lecturer
came.
-
B. Negative Form
Subject Had Not Been Verb+ing Object Adverb I
We You They Students He She Anita It
had not been studying
raining
English
here
for five hours before lecturer
came.
C. Question Form
How long Had Subject Been Verb+ing Object
How long had I we you they students he she Anita it
been studying
raining
English?
here?
C. Illustration of Past Perfect Continuous Tense
One of the newspapers in this town (Lombok Post) reported the football match yesterday. The teams were Bima Sakti and Lombok Sakti.
The two teams had been playing very well. It was a wonderful match.
They had been playing for fifteen minutes when Bima Sakti scored the first goal. Lombok Sakti had almost scored ten minutes before.
However, the goal-keeper of Bima Sakti had always saved the goal.
Lombok Sakti came back with a fine attack. Five minutes later, the center forward player ran very fast to get the ball and shot it over the head of the goal-keeper of Bima Sakti and scored. Thus, final score:
Bima Sakti 1 vs. Lombok Sakti 1.
1. What did the newspaper report?
2. What teams were in the football match yesterday?
3. Was the football match interesting?
4. How long had they been playing when Bema Sakti scored the first goal?
5. How long had they been playing when Lombok Sakti scored the first goal?
6. Who did shoot over the head of the goal-keeper of Bema Sakti and goal?
7. How many final score of each team?
D. Use of Past Perfect Continuous Tense
The Past Perfect Continuous is used to express an activity or state that happened in the past before a specified or understood past time, however, the progressive nature of the action is emphasized.
Example:
- We had been studying for more than ten minutes before she finally called up.
- He had been living in Mataram before his move to Jakarta.
- The patient had been waiting for an hour when the doctor arrived.
- The two teams had been playing quickly for a few minutes before we came.
- We had been staying in Jakarta before we moved to Amsterdam.
- The students had been studying in this building before they moved to new building.
- The children had been playing here for two hours before they went to their class.
- It had been eating for a few seconds before we saw it.
- I was very tired when I arrived home. I'd been working hard all day.
- How long had you been waiting when the bus finally came?
- The police had been looking for the criminal for two years before they caught him.
- Dina finally came at seven o’clock. I have been waiting for him since five-thirty.
- We have been waiting for Faujul for the last two hours, but he still hasn’t arrived.
The Past Perfect Continuous is used to express a specific way which is to place the Present Perfect Continuous when a direct quotation is reported as indirect speech. Examples:
- The newspaper said, "The two teams have been playing very well".
- The newspaper said that the two teams had been playing very well.
- Mr. Rifqi told us, " I've been teaching since 1998".
- Mr. Rifqi told us that he had been teaching since 1998.
- Our grammar lecturer told us that she had been teaching in UIN Mataram since 1999.
- Our TEFL lecturer told us that he had been teaching in UIN Mataram for twenty years.
- I told you that I had been staying in this village since 2000.
E. Practice
a. This exercise you have to read a situation and then write a sentence.
Example: The two people came into the home. One had a long hair and the other had a short hair. (they / play).
They had been playing …
1. The two boys came into the room. One had a black eye and the other had a cut lip. (they / fight)
They………...
2. Tomy was watching television. He was feeling very tired. (he / study / hard all day)
He ……….
………
…
3. When I walked into the room, it was empty. But there was a smell of cigarettes. (somebody / smoke / in the room)
Somebody ...
………
…
4. When Mary came back from the beach, she looked very red from the sun. (she / lie / in the sun too long)
She ………
………
…
5. The two boys came into the house. They had a football and they were both very tired. (they / play / football)
They ….………
………..
6. Ana woke up in the middle of the night. She was frightened and she didn't know where she was. (she / dream)
She ………...
………
7. Ani and Ina came back from the library. They had some books in their bags. (they / read / books)
They ………...
………
8. My mother came back from the garden. He had some vegetables in her bag. (he / work / garden).
She ………..
………..
9. Children came back from the river. They had some fishes in their hands. (they / fish)
They .………….………...
………..
10. When I came into the room, there was Rini and a television. (Rini / watch )
Rini …..………
………..
b. In this exercise, each question consists of a sentence with four parts underlined. Choose that part (A or B or C or D) which is not acceptable for standard English structure. Correct your choice.
1. The chairman is telling people stop doing certain things now.
A B C D 2. What did you think she is going to shout at the other people?
A B C D
3. Mrs. Yellow went to see her doctor last week, but she was not satisfied A B C
what the doctor tells her.
D
4. His family have decided to move to Bima before.
A B C D
5. We agreed that Mery has been doing her work very well.
A B C D 6. I will be teaching here at 7:30 last week.
A B C D
7. If the man has a gun, he could shoot the bird.
A B C D 8. My friend like reading, and I like it as well.
A B C D
9. When some other students arrived, the lecture just had begun.
A B C D 10. Hasn't the water been boiled for twenty minutes?
A B C D