Past Perfect Progressive Practice

Part 1. Change the continuous action into past perfect progressive. Use the verb in parentheses

1. I was sleeping from 12:00 until 3:00. Then, I cleaned my house. (sleep) I had been sleeping before I cleaned my house.

2. The neighbor’s dog was barking for an hour last night. It continued barking until I went to bed. (bark)

The neighbor’s dog had been barkingfor an hour before I went to bed.

3. I look so thin in this old photo! That was from the time when I was eating a lot of vegetables. (eat)

I had been eating a lot of vegetables at the time that photo was taken.

4. I was dreaming about you for a while right before I woke up. (dream) I had been dreaming about you before I woke up.

5. Last week I had a job interview. I didn’t sleep well the whole week before the interview (sleep)

I had been sleeping ell the week before I had my interview.

6. John’s face is red in this photo. He was sitting in the sun for a long time. After that, he took the photo. (sit)

He had been sitting in the sun before he took the photo.

7. John’s face is red in this photo. He was sitting in the sun for a long time, and he wasn’t wearing a hat. After that, he took the photo. (wear)

He had bee wearing a hat before he took the photo.

8. Kevin studied Spanish from 2006-2009. He went to Spain in 2011, and his Spanish was not very good. (study)

He had been studying Spanish before he went to Spain.

9. Mike wasn’t looking at the road as he was driving. Then, he almost hit a tree. (look) He had been looking at the road before he almost hit the tree.

Part 2. Combine these sentences by changing one verb to the past perfect progressive. Use the verbs in parentheses. Do NOT write the time in your answers.

10. I started sleeping at 4:00, and I slept for 2 hours. My sister arrived at 6:00. (sleep, arrive)

Before my sister arrived, I had been sleeping for 2 hours.

11. I started playing basketball at 7:30. At 8:00 the electricity went out. (play, go out) Before the electricity went out, I had been playing basketball.

12. My plane took off at noon. My plane landed at midnight. (fly, land)

By the time my plane landed, I had been flying for 12 hours.

13. I went to bed at midnight. Before that, I started watching a TV at 10:30. I watched TV until midnight. (go, watch)

Before I went to bed, I had been watching a movie.

14. I went to the library to study at 2:30. I stayed until 5:30. After that, I went to the gym. (study, go)

Before I went to the library, I had been studying.

15. The professor started his lecture at 8:00AM. He lectured nonstop for the whole 2 hour class! I fell asleep around 9:30. (lecture, fall asleep)

Before I fell asleep, the professor had been lecturing nonstop.

16. In 2002, I started running every day. But in 2003, I broke my ankle. (run, break) I had been running every day until I broke my ankle.

17. In 1999, I read my first Shakespeare play. I continued reading his plays often. Then, in 2009, I found another author I liked better, and I stopped reading a lot of Shakespeare. (read, find)

Until I found another author in 2009, I had been reading a lot of Shakespeare.

18. The manager started interviewing applicants for the company at 8:00AM and continued doing this all day. Then, at 4:30, she finally met an applicant she liked. (interview, meet)

The manager had been interviewing all day before she met an applicant she liked.

19. I started swimming when I was 7, and I continued swimming. When I was 15, I joined my high school swim team. (swim, join)

By the time I joined my high school swim team, I had been swimmimg for 8 years.

Part 3. Using the given words, complete a YES-NO question.

20. Had you been reading my diary before I came home last night?

No, I hadn’t been reading your diary before you came home last night.

21. Had you been eating before you took this photo? You had some food in your teeth.

Yes, I had been eating before I took this photo.

22. Had you been working a lot before I saw you last week? You looked really tired.

No, I hadn’t been working a lot. I just hadn’t been sleeping well.

23. Had your roommate been helping you with your homework before you moved? No, he hadn’t been helping me with my homework.

Part 4. Choose the best verb to complete the sentence.

24. My plane at 3:30 yesterday.

    1. arrived B. had been arriving

25. My sister her husband for years before he asked her out.

    1. had liked B. had been liking

26. In 2015, I to Washington D.C.

    1. flew B. had been flying

27. Tim a lot of vegetables and tofu before he became a vegetarian, so it was an easy transition.

    1. has been eating B. had been eating

28. I for 3 hours before I decided to take a break.

    1. had been driving B. had drove

29. By the time we got to LA, my brother nonstop for 2 hours about his dog.

    1. had been talking B. talked

30. I had been wearing glasses for 3 years before I contact lenses.

    1. has been getting B. got

31. Before my parents a TV, they had been using their computer to watch movies.

    1. bought B. had been buying

32. My dog a strange noise before he started barking.

    1. had heard B. had been hearing

33. My team 1 goal before I arrived at the soccer game.

    1. had scored B. had been scoring

34. My friend’s plane by the time I arrived at the airport

    1. had arrived B. had been arriving