Past Perfect Continuous

Meanings

Actions and situations with dynamic (not stative verbs) continuing up to a moment in the past.

Tense expressions

• for 
• since
• how long
• before
• until
• by the time
• after
• when (in the meaning "before, after")
• + for 2 hours
• for a long time before, etc.

Examples

The girl had been playing the piano for a long time, and we were listening to her with pleasure.

She had been staring at the ceiling for ours before the phone call distracted her.

They claimed they had been running their business since their child was born.

The boys had been squabbling all day long until we arrived home and told them both off.

We had been dating for a whole year before we got married.

I knew it hadn't been raining for a couple of days but I still did not want to go out.

She told me that she had been working as a tamer for over 20 years.

I was sick and tired because I had not been sleeping properly for a few nights.

They had not been waiting for long when the bus picked them up.

I had been drinking all the night, so I had a terrible hangover.

The manager had been complaining about that employee who was fired.