Lesson 3 of 4 · ~9 minutes
Lesson 3 · Past Perfect Continuous
had been writing vs had written
Continuous or simple
had been -ing talks about an activity that went on for some time — the duration matters, not the outcome. had + V3 talks about a finished action — the result or the amount matters. And state verbs (know, believe, own) usually aren't used in the continuous.
activity or result
- in progressI had been writing emails all day — the duration matters, not how many
- resultI had written five emails — the outcome matters: how many, what was done
- stateI had known him for years — know isn't used in the continuous, even with a period of time
Form
- had been -ing
- had + V3
- know/believe/own
What matters
- the activity, duration, reason
- a finished result, amount
- usually only had + V3
I had been writing emails all morning when the power went off.
By noon, I had written five emails.
I had known him for years before we became friends.
She had wanted to visit Japan long before she finally went.
In short
- had been -ingthe activity, duration
- had + V3the result, amount
- know/believeusually only had + V3