Past Perfect Continuous Tense - Test (Fill In The Blanks) - TOEIC MCQ

The sentence is in past continuous tense, so we will use had been sleeping
We had been sleeping for 12 hours when he woke us up.
 

To form the correct verb tense, we need to use the past perfect continuous tense, which is formed by using "had been" + the present participle form of the verb.
Here is a detailed solution:
- The sentence is referring to an action that happened before another past action.
- The train arrived after they waited for 90 minutes at the station.
- We need to use the past perfect continuous tense to show the duration of the waiting.
- The past perfect continuous tense is formed by using "had been" + the present participle form of the verb "wait".
- The correct answer is "had been waiting".
- The verb "waiting" is the present participle form of the verb "wait".
- The past perfect continuous tense indicates that the waiting started in the past and continued up until another past action (the arrival of the train).
- The sentence can be rewritten as follows: "They had been waiting at the station for 90 minutes when the train finally arrived."
In summary, the correct answer is "had been waiting" because it accurately describes the duration of the waiting action that occurred before the train arrived.

 

To understand the correct answer, let's break down the sentence and analyze the verb tenses and time frame.
The sentence given is: "I ________ (not / walk) for a long time when it suddenly began to rain."
1. Analyzing the sentence structure:
- The sentence is in the past tense.
- The action of not walking happened before the sudden rain.
2. Understanding the tense usage:
- The past perfect continuous tense (had not been walking) is used to describe an action that started in the past and continued up until another point in the past.
- The simple past tense (did not walk) is used to describe an action that happened and was completed in the past.
3. Reasoning and filling in the blank:
- The sentence suggests that the action of not walking occurred continuously for a period of time before the rain started.
- Therefore, the correct verb form to use is the past perfect continuous tense, "had not been walking."
Answer:
The correct answer is: had not been walking.

Answer:

How long did she learn English before she went to London?

To answer this question, we need to use the past perfect continuous tense, which indicates an action that started in the past, continued up until a certain point in the past, and may or may not have continued after that point. In this case, we are referring to the duration of time she spent learning English before going to London. The correct answer is "had she been learning."
Detailed

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

• The past perfect continuous tense is formed by using the past perfect of the verb "to have" (had), the auxiliary verb "been," and the present participle form of the main verb (learning).


• This tense is used to describe an action that started in the past, continued up until a certain point in the past, and may or may not have continued after that point.

Using the Past Perfect Continuous Tense in the Question

• The question asks about the duration of time she spent learning English before going to London.


• We can assume that she had already started learning English before going to London, and the question wants to know the length of time she had spent learning.


• Therefore, we need to use the past perfect continuous tense to indicate the ongoing action of learning English.


• The correct form of the question is "How long had she been learning English before she went to London?"

Example:

For example, if she started learning English two years before going to London and continued learning up until the day she left, the answer would be:

• "She had been learning English for two years before she went to London."

Conclusion:

To answer the question about the duration of time she spent learning English before going to London, we need to use the past perfect continuous tense. The correct answer is "had she been learning."

Explanation:

Frank Sinatra caught the flu because he had been singing in the rain too long.

Reasoning:

• Frank Sinatra caught the flu.


• He caught the flu because he had been singing in the rain too long.

Explanation:

The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that started in the past, continued for a specific duration, and was still ongoing when another action interrupted it.

Breakdown of the sentence:

• "Frank Sinatra caught the flu" - This is the main action in the sentence, indicating that Frank Sinatra became ill.


• "because he had been singing in the rain too long" - This is the reason for Frank Sinatra's flu. The past perfect continuous tense "had been singing" suggests that he was singing in the rain for a prolonged period before he caught the flu.

Inference:

Therefore, the correct answer is "had been singing" as it accurately reflects the past perfect continuous tense and explains the cause-effect relationship between Frank Sinatra's prolonged singing in the rain and his subsequent flu.

To answer this question, we need to determine the correct verb form to complete the sentence. Let's analyze the options:
A:

 has

- This option uses the present perfect tense, which indicates an action that started in the past and continues up to the present moment. However, this does not fit the context of the sentence.
B:

 had

- This option uses the past tense, which indicates an action that occurred and ended in the past. However, this does not fit the context of the sentence.
C:

had been

- This option uses the past perfect continuous tense, which indicates an action that started in the past, continued for a period of time, and ended before another past action. This fits the context of the sentence as it implies that the dad had been smoking in the garage before.
D:

none

- This option suggests that none of the previous options are correct, but since option C fits the context, this option is not correct.
Therefore, the correct answer is C:

had been

.

The correct answer is "had been helping." Here's a detailed explanation:

• Verb tense: The sentence is in the past tense, as indicated by the phrase "in the evening."


• Continuous action: The verb "helping" indicates an ongoing or continuous action.


• Duration: The phrase "all day" suggests that the action of helping on the farm started in the past and continued until the evening.


• Past perfect continuous tense: The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action that started in the past, continued for some time, and was still happening at a particular point in the past.


• Formation of past perfect continuous tense: The past perfect continuous tense is formed by using "had been" followed by the present participle (base form + -ing) of the verb.


• Application to the sentence: In the given sentence, the action of helping on the farm started in the past and continued until the evening. Therefore, we use the past perfect continuous tense, resulting in "had been helping."

Thus, the correct answer is "had been helping."

I had not been working all day; so I wasn't tired and went to the disco at night.

The correct answer is: had been cycling.

Here's a detailed explanation:

• Verb tense: The sentence indicates an action that occurred in the past and continued for a period of time. This suggests the use of the past perfect continuous tense.


• Past perfect continuous tense: This tense is used to describe an action that started in the past, continued for a period of time, and was still happening before another past event. In this case, the action of cycling happened before their legs became sore in the evening.


• Form of the verb: The verb "cycle" needs to be in the past perfect continuous form to match the tense of the sentence.


• Conjugation: The correct conjugation of "cycle" in the past perfect continuous tense is "had been cycling."

Therefore, the correct answer is "had been cycling." This indicates that the individuals were continuously cycling for a period of time before their legs became sore in the evening.