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1 The Big Idea
A Habit Up to a Past Event
📘 Level 3 — Past Perfect Continuous — Lesson 2

In lesson 25, you learned the Past Simple for habits. It tells a normal routine in the past: He went to the gym every day.

The Past Perfect Continuous tells a habit that was going on up to a past event. The event stopped it or changed it.

He had been going to the gym every day before the injury.
(He went every day. Then he hurt his knee.)
Past Simple (a normal routine)Past Perfect Continuous (a habit up to an event)
He went to the gym every day.He had been going to the gym every day before the injury.
She practiced the piano every day.She had been practicing the piano every day before her hand got hurt.
A habit up to a past event → had been + verb-ing.
The habit was going on. Then a past event came.

This is lesson 44, one step back in time. The Present Perfect Continuous gives a habit up to now. The Past Perfect Continuous gives a habit up to a past event.

2 Two Clues
A Repeat Word + a Past Event

Look for two clues together.

1. A word that shows repeating: every day, every morning, every week, every night, every Friday
2. A past event: before the injury, when she got sick, before it closed, when he lost his job
  • She had been practicing the piano every day before her hand got hurt.
  • They had been eating at that cafe every Friday before it closed.
  • He had been working late every night when he lost his job.
  • We had been watching the same show every night before it ended.
  • The kids had been playing outside every afternoon before the storm came.

The event uses the Past Simple. The form is the same as in lesson 51: had been + verb-ing.

To ask about the habit, use How often.

  • How often had he been going to the gym before the injury?
  • Had you been eating there every Friday?
3 What the Event Does
Stopped, Changed, or Explained

The event tells you why the habit matters. It can stop the habit, change it, or explain something.

The event…Example
Stopped the habitHe had been running every morning before he hurt his knee. (Now he walks.)
Changed the habitThey had been taking the bus every day when they bought a car.
Explained somethingShe had been sleeping four hours every night when she got sick.

The speaker often has a feeling about the habit. It can be worry, surprise, or sadness.

  • He had been drinking six cups of coffee every day before the doctor talked to him. (worry)
  • We had been going to that beach every weekend before the storm. (sadness)
4 Compared With Past Simple
Is There an Event?

Ask one question: is there a past event after the habit?

Past Perfect ContinuousPast Simple
She had been eating lunch outside every day when the weather changed.She ate lunch at her desk.
A habit up to a past eventA normal routine in the past
Needs a past eventNeeds no event

No event? Use the Past Simple. Use the Past Perfect Continuous only when a past event comes after the habit.

5 Common Mistakes
Watch Out For These
❌ Mistake 1 — Present Perfect Continuous in a past story
✗ He has been going to the gym every day before the injury.
✗ They have been eating there every Friday before it closed.
✓ He had been going to the gym every day before the injury.
✓ They had been eating there every Friday before it closed.
The event is in the past. So the habit is also before a past time. Use had been, not has been or have been.
❌ Mistake 2 — Past Perfect Continuous for a normal routine
✗ When I was a child, I had been walking to school every day.
✗ My grandfather had been watching the news every evening.
✓ When I was a child, I walked to school every day.
✓ My grandfather watched the news every evening.
There is no past event after the habit. This is a normal routine in the past. Use the Past Simple (lesson 25).
❌ Mistake 3 — Forgetting HAD or BEEN
✗ The kids been playing outside every afternoon.
✗ He had going to the gym every day.
✓ The kids had been playing outside every afternoon.
✓ He had been going to the gym every day.
The tense has three parts: had + been + verb-ing. You need all three.
6 Practice
Try It Yourself
Exercise A — Past Perfect Continuous or Past Simple?

Read the sentence. Click the tense that completes it.

  • 1
    When I was a child, I to school every day. (walk)
    ✓ Correct — A normal routine in the past. There is no event. Use the Past Simple.
  • 2
    She the piano every day before her hand got hurt. (practice)
    ✓ Correct — A habit that was going on up to a past event. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
  • 3
    My grandfather the news every evening. (watch)
    ✓ Correct — A normal routine in the past. There is no event. Use the Past Simple.
  • 4
    Every summer, we to the lake. (drive)
    ✓ Correct — A normal routine in the past. There is no event. Use the Past Simple.
  • 5
    We the same TV show every night before it ended. (watch)
    ✓ Correct — A habit that was going on up to a past event. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
  • 6
    He coffee every day before the doctor told him to stop. (drink)
    ✓ Correct — A habit that was going on up to a past event. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
  • 7
    They to work together every day when the car broke down. (go)
    ✓ Correct — A habit that was going on up to a past event. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
  • 8
    In college, I at a pizza place on weekends. (work)
    ✓ Correct — A normal routine in the past. There is no event. Use the Past Simple.
Exercise B — Complete the Sentence

Type the correct verb form for the verb given.

  • 1
    He to the gym every day before the injury. (go)
  • 2
    She only four hours every night when she got sick. (sleep)
  • 3
    We lunch at that cafe every Friday before it closed. (eat)
  • 4
    They the bus every day when they bought a car. (take)
  • 5
    I every morning before my knee started to hurt. (run)
  • 6
    She Spanish every evening when she moved to Madrid. (study)
  • 7
    He late every night when he lost his job. (work)
  • 8
    Last summer, we to the beach every weekend. (drive)
Exercise C — Make It Negative

Type the negative Past Perfect Continuous for the verb given.

  • 1
    He to the gym regularly, so he got tired quickly. (not go)
  • 2
    She enough, so she was weak when she got sick. (not eat)
  • 3
    They on time every morning before the boss complained. (not arrive)
  • 4
    I every evening, so the test was hard. (not study)
  • 5
    We our neighbors often before we moved. (not visit)
  • 6
    He every day before the injury. He ran only on weekends. (not run)
  • 7
    The kids outside much before the storm. (not play)
  • 8
    She her medicine every day when she got worse. (not take)
Exercise D — Write the Question

Type the missing words of speaker B’s question, using the words given.

  • 1
    A: Tom hurt his knee.
    B: How often to the gym before the injury? (he / go)
  • 2
    A: Lisa got sick last week.
    B: How many hours every night? (she / sleep)
  • 3
    A: The cafe closed in May.
    B: there every Friday? (you / eat)
  • 4
    A: They bought a car.
    B: How often the bus before that? (they / take)
  • 5
    A: Ben quit his job.
    B: How late every night before he quit? (he / work)
  • 6
    A: My grandfather has a heart problem.
    B: a lot of coffee before that? (he / drink)
  • 7
    A: Sara moved to Madrid.
    B: How often Spanish before she moved? (she / study)
  • 8
    A: The factory closed last year.
    B: What time work every day before it closed? (people / start)
Exercise E — Event or No Event?

Look for a past event. Click the form that fits.

  • 1
    My aunt dinner every Sunday when I was young.
    ✓ Correct — A normal routine in the past. There is no event. Use the Past Simple.
  • 2
    He about the noise every night before he moved out.
    ✓ Correct — A habit that was going on up to a past event. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
  • 3
    In 2010, my dad to work every day.
    ✓ Correct — A normal routine in the past. There is no event. Use the Past Simple.
  • 4
    She extra hours every week when the company closed.
    ✓ Correct — A habit that was going on up to a past event. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
  • 5
    Every winter, they in the mountains.
    ✓ Correct — A normal routine in the past. There is no event. Use the Past Simple.
  • 6
    The kids in the yard every afternoon before the storm came.
    ✓ Correct — A habit that was going on up to a past event. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
  • 7
    My grandmother us every Sunday.
    ✓ Correct — A normal routine in the past. There is no event. Use the Past Simple.
  • 8
    He his medicine every day before the doctor changed it.
    ✓ Correct — A habit that was going on up to a past event. Use the Past Perfect Continuous.
7 Choose the Right Sentence
Apply What You Know

Read each question. Choose the sentence that matches.

Question 1 of 8
Select the correct sentence.
Question 2 of 8
Select the correct sentence about a normal routine in childhood.
Question 3 of 8
Select the correct negative sentence.
Question 4 of 8
Select the correct question.
Question 5 of 8
Which sentence shows a habit that was going on up to a past event?
Question 6 of 8
Select the sentence that is incorrect.
Question 7 of 8
Which sentence has both clues: a repeat word and a past event?
Question 8 of 8
Select the sentence with the correct tense.
8 Summary
Past Perfect Continuous: A Habit Up to a Past Event A habit that was going on up to a past event uses had been + verb-ing. The event uses the Past Simple.
  • Two clues: a repeat word (every day) + a past event (before the injury).
  • Form: subject + had been + verb-ing. Negative: hadn’t been + verb-ing.
  • Question: How often had + subject + been + verb-ing?
  • The event can stop the habit, change it, or explain something.
  • No event? A normal routine in the past uses the Past Simple (lesson 25).
  • This is lesson 44, one step back in time.
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