Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Tenses

The Past Perfect is used

Past Perfect Continuous is used

We can use by, by the time, before, after, just, when in

We can use for, since, before, all day / night /

I had forgotten to clean my teeth … I went into bed.

I had fi nished the magazine article ... midnight.

She didn’t eat anything at the party because … (she / already / eat) at home.

The play had started by the time I ... ( arrive).

When I got there, … .

The garden was flooded because …

Kate and Tom ....... their dinner when Ann ... at the restaurant.

We _______ (already to build) our house when _____ (to finish) school.

When I arrived at work I realised that I ____                  [had left, had been leaving]__my mobile phone at home.

The tourists were hungry because they ___                  [had walked, had been walking]___ a long way.

Alex was hot, because he ___                  [had been playing, had played]___ football for two hours.

My granny was tired because she ____                  [had been cooking, had cooked]__ the whole evening.

My brother ___                     [had collected, had been collecting]___ toy cars for five years.

She didn't know the answer because she ___                 [had been losing, had lost]___ the book.

If my grandfather ___                  [had been phoning, had phoned]___ earlier, I would have been able to help him.

By the time my parents came back, the house __                           [had already been painting, had already been painted]____.

It __                  [had rained, had been raining]____ for half an hour when he started to drive home.

My neighbour ___                  [had been waiting, had waited]___ for twenty minutes before the police came.

I was sure I ____                        [had never seen, had never been seeing]__ that woman before.

My friend ___                   [had studied, had been studying]___ French before he entered the University.