💡Build correct sentences using the
Past Perfect Continuous tense. Use the words provided in the prompts to create
grammatically correct sentences based on the clues.
💭Remember:
Affirmative: Subject + had + been + verb-ing
Negative: Subject + had + not + been + verb-ing (or hadn't been)
Question: Had + subject + been + verb-ing?
Negative Question: Hadn't + subject + been + verb-ing?
Build the sentence
Clue: Her clothes were wet; she had an umbrella in her hand.
Prompt:had / raining / all morning / been / it
✓ Correct answer: It had been raining all morning.
Build the sentence
Clue: His face was red, and he was breathing heavily.
Prompt:(he) / been / running / had / ?
✓ Correct answer: Had he been running?
Build the sentence
Clue: The books were dusty; clearly she hadn't studied.
Prompt:she / studying / not / been / had
✓ Correct answer: She had not been studying.
Build the sentence
Clue: The children looked bored; no toys were around.
Prompt:playing / games / hadn't / been / they
✓ Correct answer: Hadn't they been playing games?
Build the sentence
Clue: His hands were full of paint, and the brushes were dirty.
Prompt:painting / had / he / walls / been / the
✓ Correct answer: He had been painting the walls.
Build the sentence
Clue: The ground was muddy, and their shoes were dirty.
Prompt:been / they / walking / where / had
✓ Correct answer: Where had they been walking?
Build the sentence
Clue: Her eyes were not red, and there were no tissues.
Prompt:crying / had / she / been / not
✓ Correct answer: She had not been crying.
Build the sentence
Clue: He looked exhausted; his friends thought he had practiced.
Prompt:practicing / hadn't / been / he
✓ Correct answer: Hadn't he been practicing?
Build the sentence
Clue: They looked sleepy; their notebooks were on the table.
Prompt:had / they / studying / all night / been
✓ Correct answer: They had been studying all night.
Build the sentence
Clue: The car engine was hot, and he had grease on his hands.
Prompt:fixing / car / had / he / been / the
✓ Correct answer: Had he been fixing the car?
Review the correct answers shown in green below each exercise!