Past perfect continuous

Ex.13. Read the sentences and define the tense forms. Translate them into Ukrainian.

1. We had been sleeping for 12 hours when he woke us up.

2. They had been waiting at the station for 90 minutes when the train finally arrived.

3. We had been looking for her ring for two hours and then we found it in the bathroom.

4. I had not been walking for a long time, when it suddenly began to rain.

5. How long had she been learning English before she went to London?

6. Frank Sinatra caught the flu because he had been singing in the rain too long.

7. He had been driving less than an hour when he ran out of petrol.

8. They were very tired in the evening because they had been helping on the farm all day.

9. I had not been working all day; so I wasn't tired and went to the disco at night.

10. They had been cycling all day so their legs were sore in the evening.

Ex. 14. Complete the sentences, putting the verbs in brackets into the Past Perfect Continuous.

1. The room was empty, but the television was still on. Someone_____(watch) it.

2. They _______(wait) long before the taxi arrived.

3. We_______ (try) to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key.

4. It ________(rain) hard for several hours and the streets were very wet.

5. Her friends had been _____(think) of calling the police when she walked in.

6. They_____ (wait) at the station for 90 minutes when the train finally arrived.

7. Не looked very tired when I came to his place for he______(prepare) for his exams for several days.

8. They ______________ (shout) for a few hours before their parents arrived.

9. John was in a detention because he_______(misbehave).

10. I had to go on a diet because I ________(eat) too much sugar.

11. Jessica got sunburnt because she had been _____(lie) in the sun too long.

12. The boys ________(quarrel) for half an hour when we arrived home.

13. I ______(date) Angelina for 3 years before we got married.

Ex.15. Ask questions using the questioning words in brackets.

1. They had been working on this project for 5 years before they finished it. (How long?)

2. My Mum had been working for this company for 15 years before she retired. (Who?)

3. I had been thinking of moving since September and then I got a promotion. (Since when?)

4. My friend had been trying hard to improve the situation but eventually she failed. (What?)

5. By seven o'clock last night she had already been typing for ten hours, so I told her to rest for a while. (By what time?)

Ex.16.In pairs, ask and answer questions.

1. They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived. – Had they been writing the report before Tony arrived? –No, they hadn’t. They had been talking. How long had they been talking? – They had been talking for over an hour.

1. She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business.

2. You had been waiting to get on the bus for 40 minutes.

3. Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work.

4. James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he leftfor Asia.

5. Jason was tired because he had been writing the course paper.

6. Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.

7. Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending classes.

8. He was tired because he had been exercising so hard.

Ex.17. Complete the sentences with the verbs in the box using the Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

consider, drive, quarrel, practice, work, burn, hope, rain, write, try

1.He _______the car for many hours before he came to the crossroads.

2. The pianist _______ the passage hour after hour till he mastered it.

3. When I met her, her eyes were red. She and Mike _______ .

4. When I came, they ______ this question for more than an hour.

5. It was evening and he was tired because he _______ since dawn.

6. He ______ to get her on the phone for 15 minutes before he heard her voice.

7. By 12 o’clock they _______ a composition for hours.

8. The fire _______ for some time before a fire brigade came.

9. I ______ to meet her for ages when I bumped into her by chance.

10. When I left home, it was raining, and as it _______ since morning, the streets were muddy.

Ex.18. Complete the sentences with the Past Perfect Continuous to explain the reason.

Example: Mary got burnt. (Lie in the sun)- Mary got burnt because she had been lying in the sun.

1. Mum looked upset. (Read and cry over a sad story.)

2. Tom ran out of fuel. (Drive for 8 hours.)

3. Bob’s trainers were dirty. (Play football all afternoon.)

4. They looked angry. (Discuss the problem with the board of directors.)

5. Fiona was exhausted. (Pack her suitcase.)

6. Melanie’s eyes were red. (Work at the computer all day long.)

7. She looked stunning. (Go shopping at the weekend.)

8. They were sad to move the house. ( Live at the same place for 20 years.)

9. At last they put up the tent. (Walk in the forest for 3 hours.)

10. Tom and Anna got married. ( Date for three years.)

11. He was happy. He got a position at TNT. (Look for a job as an IT manager.)

Ex.19.Correct the mistakes if there are any.

1. I was tired. I have been writing the composition the whole evening.

2.They were been travelling for a week when they reached the point of destination.

3.We were exhausted. We had been sightseeing in the town all day long.

4. He passed his English exam easily. He had been studying very hard before.

5. Katherine and Josh looked very angry. They had argued since morning..

6. Tracy had been preparing for the presentation until she met a deadline.

7. The kitchen smelled of vanilla. Mum was preparing for the big event for 5 hours.

8. They trained hard for the whole year. It was their big success.

9. Dave was happy. He and Maria had been doing their best until they won the contest.

10.I wasn’t surprised Pete had failed his exam. He wasn’t working hard during the semester.

Ex.20. TranslateintoEnglish.

1. Вона жила в Києві вже два роки , але так і не знала свій район.

2. Вона сказала, що вона вчила англійську з дитинства.

3. Коли я приїхала у відпустку на море, мої друзі були там уже два тижні.

4. У Люсі очі були червоні. Вона плакала весь ранок.

5. Джесіка та Джері будували будинок вже рік, коли розпочалась економічна криза.

6. Майкл був надто втомлений. Збори тривали з ранку.

7. Наша секретарка друкувала папери вже пів години, коли прийшов шеф і сказав, що вже не потрібно.

8. Сніг йшов всю ніч. Вранці всі будинки були вкриті снігом.

9. Вона промокла наскрізь. Всю дорогу до станції вона йшла без парасольки.

10.Анастасія була найкраща репортерка. Вона працювала в нашій газеті з самого початку.