The structure of a question is:
(question word) + had + subject + been + V-ing?
How long had Kudjo been sleeping by then?
EXERCISE 1
Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Perfect Continuous:
1 They were tired because they /play/ dodgeball all afternoon.
2 By the time Kudjo got home, Dradjo /draw/ strange planets for two hours.
3 When he entered the house, he could smell roast meat and vanilla. Dradjo /cook/ his favourite meat muffins.
4 After they /travel/ for several hours, they met a strange creature.
5 They /sleep/ for an hour when someone knocked on the door.
6 /walk / they for a long time before they got lost?
7 It /snow/ all night and they couldnt open the front door in the morning because of snow.
8 Dradjo was coal black after he /clean/ the chimney.
EXERCISE 2
Find the proper verb and put it into the correct the Past Perfect Continuous form: wait, jog, not garden, plan, cook, not walk, swim, watch.
1 They ***** this trip for ages, so nothing went wrong.
2 Kudjo ***** in a bog for some time when suddenly something caught his leg under the water.
3 They ***** for an hour when their guests finally came.
4 They ***** for long when they stopped for a bite.
5 Kudjo ***** in the park for some minutes when he saw a whimpering puppy.
6 They ***** for several hours before dinner was ready.
7 How long ***** they ***** a cartoon before the lights went off?
8 They ***** for long when it started to rain.
EXERCISE 3
Find and correct mistakes in 7 sentences:
1 His knees and hands were very dirty. He had crawled in the garden.
2 They were out of breath. They were chasing rats.
3 Kudjo had pretending to sleep until Dradjo stopped talking and fell asleep.
4 They have been fighting since lunch and neither wanted to make up first.
5 They had living in the country for a year before they decided to move to the city.
6 How long had you be following that sheep-dog yesterday?
7 Had they been played for a long time before the bulldog joined them?
8 They had been trying to behave themselves until the Doberman beauty went home.
Past Perfect Continuous is the past equivalent of Present Perfect Continuous and has the same functions but in the past.It shows actions of a certain duration that had visible results in the past. Compare:
Kudjo is starving. He hasnt been eating long.
Kudjo was starving. He hadnt been eating long.
EXERCISE 4
Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Perfect Continuous or Present Perfect Continuous Tenses:
1 Kudjo has a backache. He /dig/ in the garden.
2 Kudjo was angry with his pet because Dradjo /eat/ his treats.
3 He is tired. He /tidy/ the house.
4 They look exhausted. They /chase/ the neighbours cats.
5 They /wait/ for hours before a cat got into their garden.
6 Kudjo had red eyes. He /read/ all night.
7 He /play/ with 101 dalmatians until midnight.
8 They /hide/ in bushes since Kudjo came back home.
EXERCISE 5
Finish the sentences with your ideas and the Past Perfect Continuous or Present Perfect Continuous tenses:
1 Kudjo is furious because
2 Dradjo was exhausted because
3 He had ketchup on his paw because
4 Their house needs to be cleaned because
5 Dradjo felt sick because
6 His ear was scratched because
7 Their legs are killing them because
8 A little kitten was crying because
EXERCISE 6
Answer the questions using the Past Perfect Continuous Tense:
For example,
Why was Dradjo tired this morning? Because he had been preparing for the trip all night.
1 Why was Kudjo so sleepy?
2 Why was the house a mess on Monday morning?
3 Why did Dradjo have a terrible toothache?
4 Why was Kudjo so pleased with himself?
5 Why were Kudjos legs stiff?
6 Why was Kudjo as hungry as a hunter?
7 Why was Dradjo soaked through?
8 Why did they have tears in their eyes?
The signal words that we usually use with Past Perfect Continuous are the same as for Present Perfect Continuous but in the past: how long, since, until, till, for, all day/night, etc./
EXERCISE 7
Put the verbs in brackets in the Past Perfect Continuous or Present Perfect Continuous tenses and choose the correct signal word: For, all day, how long, all morning, until, since, all night, for
1 Kudjo /take/ a bubble bath ***** two hours.
2 ***** they /argue/ about their chores?
3 Yesterday he /make/ a mouse-trap *****.
4 He /write/ invitations ***** yesterday.
5 Dradjo /sleep/ fast ***** Kudjo came back from the grocery store.
6 He /not sleep/ a wink ***** because Dradjos snoring.
7 He /keep/ silent ***** yesterday.
8 They /discuss/ their plans ***** ages.
EXERCISE 8
Kudjo is texting a new message to Chilly. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct past, present and future tenses:
1 I /wait/ for your answer since Friday but you /not text/ me yet.
2 We /come/ back from our trip. It was amazing and weird!
3 The night before our trip I /not sleep/ a wink, because Dradjo /stand/ next to me and talking about his fears and anxiety.
4 We /fall/ asleep only by 4 am. At the sunrise we /leave/our house for adventures. Sleepy and angry.
5 I /tell/ you everything about our trip when I see you next summer
6 Now we /experience/ a mix of feelings. Happiness and Sadness. Why? Something unexpected /happen/ in that cave.
7 Dradjo is confused. He /try/ to take the first serious decision in his life. Poor thing.
8 I cant do anything. Its up to him to decide. I /wait/ for his decision since we /come/ back home.
EXERCISE 9
Choose the correct option:
1 Kudjo couldnt run because he ***** his leg.
a twisted
b had twisted
c has twisted
2 Nobody ***** to the party because Kudjo ***** to invite them.
a had come/forgot
b came/forgot
c came/had forgotten
3 Dradjo ***** so his eyes were wet and red.
a had been crying
b has been crying
c cried
4 They ***** the city before the sun *****.
a had left/rose
b left/had risen
c have left/rose
5 They ***** for several hours till they ***** the cave.
a were walking/saw
b had been walking/saw
c walked/saw
6 He ***** out of the window when he ***** Kudjo.
a looked/had seen
b was looking/had seen
c was looking/saw
7 They ***** a strange message which Dradjos parents *****.
a found/had left
b had found/left
c found/left
8 He ***** all night before taking the final decision.
a was thinking
b thought
c had been thinking
EXERCISE 10
Translate the story:
В пещере было темно и они стояли несколько минут, пока глаза не привыкли к темноте. Пещера казалась абсолютно пустой, но Драджо вдруг заметил какой-то странный металлический шар, который притягивал его. Он подошел и взял его в лапы. Шар внезапно засветился всеми цветами и начал издавать странные красивые звуки. Когда Драджо их услышал, он вдруг крепко обнял шар и заплакал. Потом он бросил шар на землю, тот покатился из пещеры и наши друзья побежали за ним. Шар катился довольно долго, пока не привел их к маленькому озеру, где они увидели настоящий космический корабль
Когда Куджо забрал яйцо, драконы долго искали своего детеныша, но не нашли и улетели на свою планету драконов. Однако они оставили сообщение-шар и этот корабль для своего сына. Полетит Драджо к своим родным на планету драконов или останется здесь с Куджо? Мы узнаем об этом совсем скоро.
Unit 5
The Past Perfect Continuous Tense versus The Past Perfect and The Past Continuous Tenses
The difference between the Past Perfect Continuous and Past Perfect is the same as between the Present Perfect Continuous and Present Perfect. The Past Perfect Simple Tense emphasises the completed action, while the Past Perfect Continuous emphasises its duration.
Compare:
By the time Kudjo returned home, Dradjo had woken up.
/что сделал? проснулся/ we are interested in the result
By the time Kudjo returned home, Dradjo had been sleeping for five hours.
/что делал? -спал/ we are interested in the process
EXERCISE 1
Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Perfect Simple or the Past Perfect Continuous Tenses:
1 By the age of eight Kudjo /read/ all these books.