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.
2 He /read/ for two hours before Dradjo asked him to go out.
3 They /decorate/ the house with lights before the guests arrived.
4 They /eat/ anything before they set off.
5 Dradjo felt ill because he /drink/ ten glasses of milkshake.
6 He /run/, so he was hot and tired.
7 When they returned home, they already /take/ the decision to come back to the cave.
8 They /have/ fun only for an hour when suddenly the terrible thunderstorm began.
9 Kudjo just /finish/ his breakfast when Dradjo woke up.
EXERCISE 2
Find the proper verb and put it into the correct form of Past Simple, Past Perfect Continuous or Past Perfect Simple: get up/wait, wander/decide, hit/rise, injure/not walk, hear/see, wait/finish, pour/not can, be/snow, look/see
1 They ***** weird sounds before they ***** a shadow on the wall.
2 Kudjo ***** for ages before Dradjo ***** his breakfast.
3 They ***** for a few hours when they ***** to have a bite.
4 It ***** with rain for two days so they *****leave home.
5 Kudjo ***** his left paw so he ***** fast.
6 The front door ***** blocked because it ***** heavily all night.
7 When Kudjo *****, Dradjo ***** for him at the door since the sunrise.
8 When he ***** into the fridge, he ***** that all yummy sandwiches had disappeared miraculously.
9 They already ***** the road when the sun *****.
How to tell the difference between Past Perfect Continuous and Past Continuous as they both show the process in the past?
Past Continuous Tense is used to express interrupted actions in the past. The tense shows that a longer action is interrupted by a shorter action in the past. While they were walking on the street, they saw a stray skinny cat. /делал что-то, что было прервано другим действием/
Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used to express a past action which started in the past and continued (and we know how long the action had continued) till another action or time in the past.
Kudjo had been looking for the backpack for 2 hours when he found it under Dradjos mat. /делал что-то какое-то время и закончил раньше другого действия/
EXERCISE 3
Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Perfect Continuous or Past Continuous:
1 When they came to the pet shop, a shopkeeper /have/ a tea break.
2 They /wait/ for twenty minutes until the shopkeeper finished having tea.
3 Kudjo and Chilly /take/ a nap after lunch when they heard a loud knock on the door.
4 They /sleep/ for an hour before that loud knock woke them up.
5 They /wait/ for good weather for a couple of days before they went fishing.
6 They /play/ backgammon when a kitten jumped onto the board.
7 They looked tired and filthy. They /play/ football.
8 They /wander/ since the morning until they found a nice spot to have a picnic.
9 They /hike/ when Dradjo tripped over a stone and hurt his paw badly.
EXERCISE 4
Make up the answers to Dradjos questions to Kudjo using the Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past perfect and Past Continuous Tenses:
1 How long had you been living here before you met me?
2 Where had I been before you found me?
3 What was I doing when you saw me the first time?
4 What did you do when you found my egg?
5 Had you had a pet before you met me?
6 What did you think when you saw me in the fridge?
7 How did you find yourself in that cave?
8 What else did you find in the cave?
9 Had you wanted to have a pet before I appeared?
EXERCISE 5
Finish the sentences using different past tenses:
1 Kudjo was sleeping fast while Dradjo ..
2 Kudjo was licking his paws because ..
3 Dradjo didnt want to eat anything because ..
4 Kudjo and Dradjo were quarrelling because..
5 They had gone to bed by the time .
6 When they looked into the cave they ..
7 While Kudjo was hiding some treats, his pet ..
8 When they left home in the morning ..
9 Before they came back, ..
EXERCISE 6
Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past perfect and Past Continuous Tenses:
1 4 billion years ago there /exist/ only dragons on our planet.There were dragon animals, dragon birds and dragon fish.
2 They /live/ happily for ages until one day a terrible bang /shake/ the planet and /spread/ a very strong and aggressive virus all over the planet.
3 That virus /kill/ most dragons before they /decide/ to leave the planet for another one.
4 By the time the dragons /build/ a huge spaceship, only eleven dragons /survive/.
5 Anyway, they /fly/ to another planet, which was safe but gloomy with grey and brown scenery.
6 The dragons /live/ on that new planet free from care for ages when one day they /stumble/ across an old book with amazing pictures of the Earth.
7 A couple of dragons /read/ that book and /decide/ to fly to the Earth as they /want/ to see what /happen/ to the planet of their ancestors.
8 When they /land/ they were astonished to see a very beautiful place full of different colours, which they never /see/ before.
9 They /settle/ in one of the cosiest caves and /lay/ an egg very soon.
EXERCISE 7
Change the sentences using the tense in brackets:
For example,
He is taking a nap now. / Past Continuous/ He was taking a nap when the smell of roast meat woke him up.
1 They have been chasing squirrels and look wet and tired./Past Perfect Continuous/
2 He has just finished his breakfast. /Past Simple/.
3 They have seen the best planet in the Universe./Past Perfect/
4 He is trying to hide his tears. /Past Continuous/
5 Who has been playing with my ball? /Past Perfect Continuous/
6 They didnt like eating spinach when they were little./used to/
7 He doesnt understand why the dog is barking at him. /Past Continuous/
8 He has been to many different places. /Past Perfect/
9 They are listening to a story about dragons now. /Past Perfect Continuous/
EXERCISE 8
Find and correct mistakes in 7 sentences.
1 He use to sleep with all his toys so as not to offend any of them.
2 Kudjo was sweating. He had been running after his pet.
3 Kudjo were running and jumping around a tree when I saw him.
4 The sandwich mysteriously disappeared before Kudjo returned to the room.
5 They played Monopoly when a loud knock on the door frightened them.
6 They had been knowing each other for ten months when they quarrelled for the first time.
7 Kudjo was hiding under the bed when Dradjo looked for him.
8 His paw was bleeding, he had been cutting it badly.
9 He had been waiting for an hour before Kudjo finally looked at him and said «Hello.
EXERCISE 9
Kudjo is texting a message to Chilly. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct past, present and future tenses:
1 Sorry. I /not be/ in touch for long. I /not be/ busy. I /feel/ upset.
2 Dradjo /take/ the final decision. He /leave/ me soon.
3 I /understand/ him. He /want/ to live with his real mum and dad on the planet with other dragons.
4 I hope one day I /visit/ him there.
5 Yesterday when we /talk/ about it, he /begin/ crying but /pretend/ that he /get/ something in his eye.
6 At that moment I /have/ something in my eye too and /regret/ that we /go/ to that cave and /find/ that spaceship.
7 All evening I /try/ to find any arguments to get him to stay here until I /realise/ that it was wrong.
8 Today I /not think/ so.
9 We /prepare/ for his departure since this morning and we still /have/ a lot to do. I /text/ you later.
EXERCISE 10
Choose the correct option:
1 They ***** together for over a year.
a have been
b were
c are
2 They ***** around when suddenly I ***** that it was their last day together.
a had kidded/realised
b were kidding/were realising
c were kidding/realised
3 Neither of them ***** while they *****.
a had been talking/were packing
b was talking/were packing
c talked/packed
4 Kudjo ***** a delicious dinner by the departure.
a cooked
b had cooked
c was cooking
5 They ***** at the table for ages but they ***** anything.
a had been sitting/havent eaten
b were sitting/hadnt eaten
c had been sitting/hadnt eaten
6 Kudjo ***** a lot of pics of Dradjo while he ***** the spaceship.
a took/checked
b was taking/had checked
c took /was checking