Grammar › Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous: negative sentences
560 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 56 tests of ten
Not goes after had, before been.
Practice this form
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The pattern
Not slots in after had:
He had not been listening. → He hadn’t been listening.
The order never varies: had, not, been, -ing.
Explaining what went wrong
The negative usually supplies the reason a past situation turned out badly:
He failed because he hadn’t been revising. The engine seized — nobody had been checking the oil.
Careful with the cause
The negative reverses the logic of the positive, and it is easy to write a sentence that contradicts itself. He was exhausted because he hadn’t been working only makes sense if something else tired him out. When in doubt, read the whole sentence back: does the reason actually produce the result?
For long, in ages
Natural companions in the negative:
They hadn’t been speaking for long when the argument started. I hadn’t been sleeping properly in ages.
All forms
| Subject | Full form | Short form |
|---|---|---|
| every subject | had not been working | hadn't been working |
Examples
Taken from the 560 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- The kids hadn't been playing all day, so they weren't tired.
- The students hadn't been studying for the test, so they didn't pass.
- He hadn't been going to the same cafe for months, but he found a new favorite spot.
- By the time I arrived, they hadn't been waiting for five hours.
- The dog hadn't been running in the backyard all day, and it was full of energy.
- She was frustrated because her computer hadn't been working properly all day long.
- She told me the company hadn't been doing well lately, so they had to reduce their expenses.
- He hadn't been practicing his guitar every day, but he picked it up again last week.
- I hadn't been sleeping well, so the doctor was not surprised.
- He was disappointed because he hadn't been making progress in his studies.
- He hadn't been watching his favorite TV show lately because of his busy schedule.
- We hadn't been driving for hours, so we didn't need to find a restaurant.
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: She didn't had been working. correct: She hadn't been working.
The tense makes its own negative. Did never appears.
Wrong: I hadn't been knowing about it. correct: I hadn't known about it.
Know is a state verb, so the plain Past Perfect is needed.