Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one. Some sentences have two correct answers. Choose both.
1By the time the bus arrived, we had ............... for over an hour in the rain.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous is had + been + -ing: "had been waiting" shows the activity continued up to the later past moment. "had waiting" is not possible because "been" is missing.
2She was exhausted because she had ............... all night before the exam.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous is had + been + -ing: "had been studying" emphasises the long activity that caused her exhaustion. "had studying" is not possible because "been" is missing.
3The ground was wet because it had ............... since early morning.
Wrong!
Use "been raining" because "since early morning" shows duration before a past situation.
4Before they moved to Madrid, they had ............... in Valencia for six years.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "been living" and "lived" can describe the six-year situation before they moved.
5His hands were dirty because he had ............... on the car all afternoon.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous is had + been + -ing: "had been working" connects the earlier ongoing activity with the dirty hands. "had working" is not possible because "been" is missing.
6I ............... for twenty minutes when the manager finally called my name.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "had been waiting" and "had waited" show the duration before the manager called my name; "had been waiting" emphasises the ongoing activity. "was waiting" does not fit with "for twenty minutes" here.
7They were out of breath because they had ............... to catch the last train.
Wrong!
Use the past perfect continuous "had been running" to show the activity that caused them to be out of breath. "had ran" is wrong because the past participle of "run" is "run", not "ran".
8When the lights went out, the children had ............... a film for nearly half an hour.
Wrong!
Use "been watching" to show an activity in progress before the lights went out.
9By noon, the technicians had ............... on the network problem since 7 a.m.
Wrong!
Use "been working" because "since 7 a.m." shows duration before noon.
10Her eyes were red because she had ............... before the interview.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "cried" and "been crying" can explain the visible result before the interview.
11We had ............... about the budget for hours before we reached an agreement.
Wrong!
The past perfect continuous is had + been + -ing: "had been arguing" emphasises the long activity before the agreement. "had arguing" is not possible because "been" is missing.
12He felt confident because he had ............... for the presentation all week.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both "been preparing" and "prepared" can describe the activity before his confident feeling.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- By the time the bus arrived, we had been waiting for over an hour in the rain.
- She was exhausted because she had been studying all night before the exam.
- The ground was wet because it had been raining since early morning.
- Before they moved to Madrid, they had been living / lived in Valencia for six years.
- His hands were dirty because he had been working on the car all afternoon.
- I had waited / had been waiting for twenty minutes when the manager finally called my name.
- They were out of breath because they had been running to catch the last train.
- When the lights went out, the children had been watching a film for nearly half an hour.
- By noon, the technicians had been working on the network problem since 7 a.m.
- Her eyes were red because she had cried / been crying before the interview.
- We had been arguing about the budget for hours before we reached an agreement.
- He felt confident because he had been preparing / prepared for the presentation all week.