The Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous tenses are advanced English grammar structures that commonly appear in IELTS tests—especially in the Reading and Listening sections. You can also apply these tenses effectively in IELTS Speaking to enhance your fluency and grammar score.
This guide will help you distinguish between the two tenses, understand their formulas, key uses, and recognition signals. Practice exercises are also included so you can test your understanding.
1. What Is the Difference Between Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous?
Tense | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
Past Perfect | Describes an action that was completed before another action in the past. | After Sofie had finished her work, she went to lunch. |
Past Perfect Continuous | Describes an action that had been ongoing before another past action. Emphasizes the duration or continuity of the earlier action. | Her friends had been thinking of calling the police when she walked in. |
When you have two past actions, the earlier one usually takes the Past Perfect, while the later one takes the Simple Past. The Past Perfect Continuous is used to stress how long an action had been happening before the second action occurred.
2. Past Perfect vs Past Perfect Continuous: Sentence Structures
Sentence Type | Past Perfect | Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|---|---|
Affirmative | S + had + V3/ed | S + had been + V-ing |
Negative | S + had not + V3/ed | S + had not been + V-ing |
Yes/No Question | Had + S + V3/ed? | Had + S + been + V-ing? |
WH- Question | WH + had + S + V3? | WH + had + S + been + V-ing? |
Examples:
Had she finished her homework before dinner?
Had you been waiting long before the taxi arrived?
How long had it been raining before I woke up?
3. Signal Words for Each Tense
Tense | Common Time Expressions |
|---|---|
Past Perfect | by the time, before, after, until then, prior to that time, as soon as, by the end of + past time |
Past Perfect Continuous | since, for, how long, until then, by the time, prior to that time, before, after |
4. When to Use Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect
Usage | Example |
|---|---|
Two past actions; the earlier one uses Past Perfect | After Nam had finished his homework, he went to bed. |
Action up to a past point | He had never traveled abroad until last summer. |
Action before a specific time in the past | An had never used a tablet before he started his new job. |
Cause of another past action | Sam couldn’t attend the conference because she had not finished her report. |
Unreal past condition (3rd conditional) | Team A would have won if they had played with more determination. |
Express regret/wish about the past | I wish I hadn’t missed the opportunity to see the eclipse. |
Past Perfect Continuous
Usage | Example |
|---|---|
Ongoing action before another past action | John had been working for hours before his friends arrived. |
Cause of a past result | He had not been paying attention, so he misunderstood the task. |
Emphasize duration up to a past point | Sarah had been studying English for months before she felt confident. |
5. Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Verb Form
Fill in the blanks with the correct tense (Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous).
By the time he arrived, his friends (leave) ______________.
They (study) ______________ English for two hours before they took a break.
She (wait) ______________ at the bus stop before the bus arrived.
I (read) ______________ that book before, so I knew the ending.
We (practice) ______________ the routine for weeks.
When I called him, he (study) ______________ for the exam.
The students were tired because they (read) ______________ all afternoon.
By the time the movie started, the audience (wait) ______________ in line.
Before they left, they (pack) ______________ for hours.
The chef was relieved because the guests (enjoy) ______________ the meal.
(they / watch) ______________ TV for hours before the power went out?
(by the time / he / finish) ______________ his work, it was already late.
Exercise 2: Sentence Reordering
Put the words in the correct order:
you / went / eaten / Had / you / breakfast / out / before / ?
long / They / bus / waiting / the / hadn’t / arrived / been / when
been / swimming / because / just / was / he / cold / he’d
before / London / he / living / to / Where / he / had / been / moved / ?
so / expected / presents / get / hadn’t / She / to / many
before / for / long / married / they / dating / they / Had / been / got / ?
Exercise 3: Complete the Paragraph
Fill in the blanks with suitable past perfect or past perfect continuous verbs:
Jennifer Lawrence was born in 1990. Once, before she became famous, she 1. __________ (think) about being a doctor and 2. __________ (not imagine) that she’d ever become an actress. That changed when she was fourteen. She 3. __________ (enjoy) a spring break with her parents when a stranger noticed her. Soon after, she 4. __________ (find) work in commercials. Her family 5. __________ (live) in Kentucky before moving to LA. Two years before filming The Hunger Games, she 6. __________ (star) in Winter’s Bone. She 7. __________ (date) Nicholas Hoult when they broke up in 2013.
Answer Key
Exercise 1:
had left
had been studying
had been waiting
had read
had been practicing
had been studying
had been reading
had been waiting
had been packing
had been enjoying
Had they been watching
By the time he had finished
Exercise 2:
Had you eaten breakfast before you went out?
They hadn’t been waiting long when the bus arrived.
He was cold because he’d just been swimming.
Where had he been living before he moved to London?
She hadn’t expected to get so many presents.
Had they been dating for long before they got married?
Exercise 3:
had thought
hadn’t imagined
had been enjoying
had found
had been living
had starred
had been dating
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Understanding the difference between the Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous tenses is crucial for mastering advanced grammar in the IELTS exam. By practicing regularly and applying these structures correctly, you'll improve your writing, speaking, and overall fluency.
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