had been + VERBing – English Grammar Profiler

Point 27 in the category of PAST is defined as:

past perfect continuous: an action or event which began before a point in the past and was still continuing up to that point, often with ‘for’ or ‘since’, to give background information.

Point 32 in the PAST is defined as:

past perfect continuous: background action or event which began before a point in the past and was still continuing up to a point in the past when the main event happened.

PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE:

Therefore, the people had been making a lot of music.

Korean female, level 3 writing class.

TLC STUDENT SPEAKING TEST EXAMPLE:

As far as I understand,

they had been trying for decades before they succeeded.

female Russia B2

*no successful examples of past perfect continuous at B1 in TLC.

_VHD been _VVG * *

1 HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR A 1383 2 HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR 1055 3 HAD BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO 938 4 HAD BEEN LIVING IN THE 713 5 HAD BEEN WORKING ON THE 693

6 HAD BEEN TRYING TO GET 685

7 HAD BEEN WORKING AS A 648 8 HAD BEEN WORKING ON A 645 9 HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR . 486 10 HAD BEEN WORKING IN THE 470 11 HAD BEEN WAITING FOR . 430 12 HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE 415 13 HAD BEEN WORKING WITH THE 375 14 HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR A 374 15 HAD BEEN LIVING IN A 364 16 HAD BEEN SITTING ON THE 291 17 HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THE 273

18 HAD BEEN TRYING TO FIND 251

19 HAD BEEN WORKING AT THE 251 20 HAD BEEN LOOKING AT THE 236 21 HAD BEEN WORKING ON FOR 236 22 HAD BEEN SUFFERING FROM A 235 23 HAD BEEN WAITING FOR A 235 24 HAD BEEN SITTING IN A 216 25 HAD BEEN WORKING ON . 215 26 HAD BEEN WORKING FOR THE 214 27 HAD BEEN DRINKING . 204 28 HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR THE 200 29 HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR THE 191 30 HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THIS 183

31 ‘D BEEN LOOKING FOR A 179

32 HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR AN 172 33 HAD BEEN WANTING TO TRY 171 34 HAD BEEN STAYING AT THE 170 35 HAD BEEN WORKING FOR A 168 36 HAD BEEN GOING ON IN 166 37 HAD BEEN GOING ON . 157 38 HAD BEEN WORKING AS AN 156 39 HAD BEEN WORKING WITH A 155 40 HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR . 154 41 HAD BEEN LIVING ON THE 153 42 HAD BEEN HOPING FOR . 149 43 HAD BEEN WANTING TO DO 148 44 HAD BEEN WORKING ON IT 147 45 HAD BEEN WAITING FOR , 145 46 HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMETHING 143 47 HAD BEEN LIVING AT THE 143 48 HAD BEEN USING IT FOR 142 49 HAD BEEN HOPING FOR A 141 50 ‘D BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO 138 51 HAD BEEN LIVING WITH HIS 136 52 HAD BEEN TAKING CARE OF 135 53 HAD BEEN TOYING WITH THE 133 54 HAD BEEN GOING THROUGH A 131 55 HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR , 131 56 HAD BEEN SITTING THERE FOR 131

57 HAD BEEN TRYING TO MAKE 131

58 HAD BEEN TRYING TO SELL 128
59 HAD BEEN TRYING TO DO 127 60 HAD BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT 125 61 HAD BEEN THINKING ABOUT THE 125 62 HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE 124 63 HAD BEEN WORKING ON THIS 122 64 HAD BEEN PLAYING IN THE 120 65 HAD BEEN LIVING WITH THE 119 66 HAD BEEN WORKING AT A 118 67 HAD BEEN USING . 115 68 HAD BEEN SITTING FOR A 114 69 HAD BEEN WORKING IN A 112 70 HAD BEEN MISSING FOR A 110 71 HAD BEEN GOING ON , 109 72 HAD BEEN PLAYING WITH THE 109 73 HAD BEEN WANTING TO MAKE 108 74 HAD BEEN GOING TO THE 107 75 HAD BEEN SITTING IN MY 106 76 HAD BEEN WORKING HARD TO 106 77 HAD BEEN SITTING ON A 104 78 HAD BEEN DEALING WITH A 103 79 HAD BEEN WORKING ON , 103 80 HAD BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH 102 81 HAD BEEN LIVING THERE FOR 101

82 ‘D BEEN TRYING TO GET 98

83 HAD BEEN DATING FOR A 98 84 HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT 98 85 ‘D BEEN WORKING ON FOR 97 86 HAD BEEN WORKING ON AN 97 87 HAD BEEN WAITING FOR HIM 95 88 HAD BEEN MISSING SINCE THE 94 89 ‘D BEEN LOOKING FOR . 94

90 HAD BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE 94

91 HAD BEEN KEEPING AN EYE 93 92 HAD BEEN COMING TO THE 91 93 HAD BEEN TALKING TO THE 90 94 HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS 89 95 HAD BEEN DRINKING AT THE 89 96 HAD BEEN TAKING PART IN 89 97 HAD BEEN THINKING ABOUT FOR 89 98 HAD BEEN WORKING ON HIS 89 99 HAD BEEN DRINKING AND WAS 88

100 HAD BEEN STAYING AT A 88

A2:

care, hoping, keeping, missing, sell, since, through, try, trying

B1:

dating, figure, forward, searching, suffering from

B2:
closely