B. Past Perfect Progressive

Утвердительная форма Вопросительная форма Отрицательная форма
I He She had been working We You They I he Had she been working? we you they I He She had not been working We (hadn’t been working) You They

 

Утвердительная форма образуется при помощи вспомогательного глагола to be в Past Perfect (had been) и Participle I смыслового глагола:

 

I(he / she / we / you / they) had been reading.

 

В вопросительной форме первый вспомогательный глагол (had) ставится перед подлежащим:

Had I(he / she / we / you / they) been reading?

Отрицательная форма образуется при помощи отрицания not, которое ставится после первого вспомогательного глагола (had):

 

I(he / she / we / you / they) had not (hadn’t) been reading.

 

Случаи употребления Past Perfect Progressive:

1)Длительное действие, которое началось до определённого момента в прошлом и закончилось в этот момент:

 

I had been waiting for 2 hours when he came

(т.е., он пришёл, и ожидание закончилось).

He felt tired because he had been playing football (т.е., он играл в футбол, но к моменту упоминания об этом он уже прекратил играть).

2) Длительное действие, которое началось до определённого момента в прошлом и всё ещё продолжалось в этот момент:

She had been teaching English for 2 years when we met

(т.е., она преподавала английский ещё до того, как мы познакомились, и продолжала преподавать и после нашего знакомства).

When I first heard about him he had been working there for 5 months

(т.е.,он уже 5 лет проработал там к тому моменту, как я о нём услышал впервые, и продолжал работать и после этого).

В предложениях с the Past Perfect Progressiveобычно указывается период времени, в течение которого происходит действие. Этот период может быть обозначен 3-мя способами:

 

C помощью предлога FOR – в течение, на протяжении –(когда обозначается весь период, в течение которого длилось действие) He had been working for 2 hours when we came.
C помощью предлога SINCE – с, с тех пор как – (когда обозначается начальный момент действия)   She had been studying foreign languages since she became a student.
C помощью обстоятельственных выражений типа all his life, all the year (month, day)   Jane said she had been writing all day.

 

Таким образом, употребление the Past Perfect Progressive характерно для сложных предложений:

 

Неdidn’t rememberhow long hehad been sitting there.

 

Shehad been watching TV for 2 hours when her parentsreturned home.

       
   
 
 

 


Compare:

 

When I looked out of the window, it had been raining (в тот момент, когда я выглянул в окно, дождя уже не было, но он шёл до этого в течение какого-то периода)

 

 

When I looked out of the window, it was raining (дождь шёл именно в тот момент, когда я выглянул в окно)

 

Exercise 1.Make the following sentences interrogative and negative:

 

Student A: Student B:

 

1. He had been working there for many years.

2. It had been raining for 2 hours when I left home.

3. I had been reading for about an hour when he came.

4. She had been working for a long time when her brother came.

5. Her aunt had been living in Moscow for 5 years when the war began.

6. The boy felt very tired as he had been working in the garden.

Exercise 2.Open the brackets using the Past Perfect Progressive:

 


1. I was tired. I (to work) all day long.

2. The room was empty but there was a smell of cigarettes. Somebody (to smoke) in the room.

3. He turned to the girl who (to listen) to the conversation with interest.

4. We (to work) for 2 hours when Pete joined us.

5. It (to snow) heavily for 3 hours when we left the house.

6. She (to listen) to the music for 2 hours when her sister returned home.

7. I (to work) in this office since I returned from abroad.

8. My grandfather (to work) at a factory for 25 years before he retired.

9. They (to write) each other letters for 2 months.

 

Exercise 3.Make up the sentences complete combining the suitable parts from the right and left-hand columns:


1. They had been experimenting for a year 2. She had been studying Spanish for 3 years 3. We had been studying the Past Perfect Progressive for a week 4. She had been saving up money for 3 months 5. He had been writing little stories for some years 6. She had been working at school for 25 years a. before she could buy a fur coat   b. before they achieved important results   c. before she became a pensioner   d. before his first book came out   e. before we wrote a test   f. before she went to Spain as a tourist  

 

Exercise 4.Complete the questions and make up short dialogues:

       
   
 

 


1. How long had your family been living in Grodno before ... (to move to Borisov)?

2. How long had they been saving money before ... (to buy a new car)?

3. How long had she been discussing this question before ... (to arrive at an agreement)?

4. How long had your brother been training before ... (to set a record)?

5. How long had you been listening to this record before ... (to understand every word)?

6. How long had you been waiting for your friend before ... (to come)?

 

Exercise 5.Make up sentences with the Past Perfect Progressive:


Example: Mother / teach literature for 20 years / retire.

Mother had been teaching literature for 20 years before she retired

 

1. He / compose music for 2 years / become popular

2. Your friend / live in Vitebsk for 10 years / move to Minsk

3. He / work as an engineer for 7 years / become a good specialist

4. She / take this medicine for a week / recover

5. He / play chess for 5 years / become the world chess champion

6. They / date for 3 years / get married

 

Exercise 6.Translate into English:

1. Он казал, что работает с пяти часов. 2. Том играл в течение двух часов в тот момент, когда мама позвала его обедать. 3. Она чувствовала себя лучше, так как отдыхала весь вечер. 4. Он работает в банке с тех пор, как вернулся из Англии. 5. Я ждала в течение часа, прежде чем он позвонил. 6. Он учил английский с тех пор как поступил в университет. 7. Весь месяц мы готовились к экзамену. 8. Они сидели в классе в течение 15 минут, когда пришёл учитель. 9. Как долго ты учил это стихотворение, пока запомнил его?

 

Exercise 7.Open the brackets choosing between the Past Perfect Progressive and the Past Progressive:


1. When I arrived she (to wait) for me. But she was angry because she (to wait for a very long time.

2. John (to drive) the car when the accident happened.

3. The sky (cleared) though it (to rain) still.

4. That day the sun (to shine) since morning and the sky was blue.

5. The children looked tired. They (to walk) since early morning.

6. Jim was on his knees on the floor. He (to look) for his pen.

 

TEST

TASK I.Open the brackets:

1. By eleven she (to finish) her work.

2. Lisa (to play) the piano since mother went to work.

3. After he (to translate) the text he (to return) the dictionary to me.

4. She said that she (to live) in Minsk all her life

5. The child (to cry) for almost an hour when his aunt (to come).

6. I couldn’t phone her because I (to lose) her number.

7. By 2 o’clock the teacher (to ask) all the students.

8. We (not to reach) the station when it began to rain.

9. He (to wake up) by the time I came.

 

TASK II.Open the brackets:

1. I (to listen) to British rock music since I (to be) a little child.

2. The old man (to be) glad that he (to find) a seat near the window.

3. By the time the train (to reach) the city, we (to make friends) with the passengers.

4. All my friends (to be) glad that I (to pass) that difficult exam successfully.

5. Hardly we (to pack) our things when it (to be) high time to go to the station.

6. When I came home, mother (to tell) me that she (to receive) a letter from grandfather.

7. No sooner we (to enter) the hall when the meeting (to begin).

8. Nobody (to know) what (to happen) to them.

9. How long he (to wait) before you (to come)?

10. Irene (to study) for 2 years when we (to meet).

11. He (to read) the book by 10 o’clock.

12. We (to talk) for an hour when he suddenly (to interrupt) us.

13. She (to spend) all her free time in the Internet since her parents (to buy) her a computer.

14. He (to study) French before he (to enter) the University.

15. I (to work) with Michael for a year when I (to understand) that I liked him.

 

TASK III.Translate into English:

1. Она написала очень хорошую статью после того, как внимательно изучила проблему. 2. Едва прозвенел звонок, как студенты выбежали из аудитории 3. Успел ли учитель дать детям домашнее задание до того, как окончился урок? 4. Он закончил книгу к понедельнику. 5. Как долго ты учился играть на гитаре, прежде чем собрал свою группу? 6. Не успел я закрыть глаза, как зазвонил будильник. 7. Мы упаковали наши вещи к тому времени, как приехало такси. 8. Джон умылся, почистил зубы, пошёл на кухню и начал готовить завтрак. 9. Они готовились два года, прежде чем приняли участие в соревновании. 10. Он закончил работу к тому времени, как мы пришли. 11. Она жила здесь с тех пор, как получила новую работу. 12. Я чувствовал себя усталым, потому что работал в саду.