IELTS Sentence Structure Variety Exercises

Past Perfect Continuous

Form and Structure

The Past Perfect Continuous is formed as:

• Affirmative: Subject + had + been + verb-ing
  e.g., She had been writing the report.
• Negative: Subject + had + not + been + verb-ing
  e.g., They had not been watching the news.
• Interrogative: Had + subject + been + verb-ing?
  e.g., Had you been waiting long?

In speaking, contractions (e.g., 'She'd been studying') and natural intonation can enhance fluency.

Rule Explanation

Use the Past Perfect Continuous to emphasize the duration or ongoing nature of an action that started before and continued up to another point in the past. It often co-occurs with time markers like for, since, until, and expressions such as "all morning" or "just before".

Contexts of use include:

• Background setting in narratives
• Explaining causes and effects
• Highlighting the length of activities before a past event

Differentiate from Past Perfect Simple:

• Simple focuses on completion (had finished).
• Continuous highlights process or duration (had been finishing).

Why This Matters in IELTS

In the IELTS Writing and Speaking tests, demonstrating a wide range of accurate tense use can lift your score from band 6.5 to 7.5. The Past Perfect Continuous shows mastery over complex time references and contributes to text cohesion, a criterion heavily weighted by examiners.

Common Errors and How to Avoid Them

1. Omitting been: writing 'had studying' instead of 'had been studying'.
2. Using wrong tense: choosing Past Continuous ('was studying') when the action needed to precede another past event.
3. Forgetting time markers: skipping expressions like 'for two hours' or 'since dawn'.
4. Word order mistakes: placing 'since' or 'for' before the verb incorrectly.

Practice Tips

• Identify and underline perfect continuous forms in IELTS reading passages to see real usage.
• In writing drafts, highlight sentences where duration matters and revise them using 'had been' structures.
• Record yourself speaking about past experiences and check for correct tense use; peer review or AI feedback can help refine usage.

Additional Examples in Context

1. By noon, he had been painting the fence for several hours and decided to take a break.
2. They had been negotiating the contract since Monday before finally reaching an agreement.
3. We had been travelling through Europe when we discovered a hidden art gallery.
4. She had been practicing the song all week for tonight's concert.
5. The team had been training intensively until their coach arrived with new strategies.

Real-Life IELTS Example

• Writing: "Traffic delays had been worsening for years before the new bridge opened," sets up a problem-solution essay effectively.
• Speaking: "I’d been saving money diligently all semester to buy a quality laptop," demonstrates accurate tense use and lexical resource.

Practice Question

Choose the correct option to complete the sentence:

By the time the lecture began, the students _____ for half an hour.

A) had studied
B) had been studying
C) studied
D) were studying

Show Answer

Answer: B) had been studying
Explanation: The Past Perfect Continuous had been studying highlights the ongoing action (studying) that occurred before the lecture began.

Key Takeaways

• Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes action duration before another past event.
• Include time markers (for, since, until) to strengthen your sentences.
• Vary sentence forms (affirmative, negative, questions) for grammatical range.
• Practice grammar correction with Lingo Copilot for more IELTS focused practice