Past Perfect Continuous Duration Cause Quiz: Show Purpose

1. Which sentence is written correctly?

She had been wait for an hour.

She had been waited for an hour.

She had been waiting for an hour.

She was been waiting for an hour.

Correct form uses had been + waiting.

Explanation

Correct form uses had been + waiting.

2. Which sentence shows cause and effect?

He slept early.

He was tired.

He had been working late, so he was tired.

He works late.

The ongoing action explains the result.

Explanation

The ongoing action explains the result.

3. Which sentence contains an error?

They had been studying before the test started.

I had been thinking about the problem.

She had been wrote letters all day.

We had been practicing for weeks.

Wrote should be writing.

Explanation

Wrote should be writing.

4. Which phrase best fits the sentence? He was exhausted because he ___ all night.

Worked

Was working

Had been working

Has been working

The action happened before another past state.

Explanation

The action happened before another past state.

5. Which tense focuses more on duration than completion?

Simple past

Past perfect

Past perfect continuous

Present perfect

Duration is the key focus of this tense.

Explanation

Duration is the key focus of this tense.

6. Which sentence correctly uses since?

She had been studying since two hours.

She had been studying since noon.

She had been studied since noon.

She was studying since noon.

Since is used with a starting point.

Explanation

Since is used with a starting point.

7. Which revision fixes the sentence? Original: He had been run for miles before stopping.

He had been ran for miles before stopping.

He had been running for miles before stopping.

He was been running for miles before stopping.

He had running for miles before stopping.

The verb must be in -ing form.

Explanation

The verb must be in -ing form.

8. Which sentence does NOT show past perfect continuous?

I had been waiting when you arrived.

She had been cleaning all morning.

They were cleaning all morning.

He had been learning French for years.

This sentence uses past continuous.

Explanation

This sentence uses past continuous.

9. Why might a writer choose past perfect continuous instead of simple past?

To make sentences longer

To show repeated actions

To emphasize how long an action lasted

To avoid using verbs

Duration is emphasized.

Explanation

Duration is emphasized.

10. Which sentence is correct?

The dog had been barking until it stopped.

The dog had been bark until it stopped.

The dog was been barking until it stopped.

The dog had barking until it stopped.

Correct tense structure is used.

Explanation

Correct tense structure is used.

11. Which time word best matches past perfect continuous?

Tomorrow

Now

Before

Always

Before introduces another past action.

Explanation

Before introduces another past action.

12. Which sentence shows incorrect verb agreement?

She had been studying all week.

They had been practicing daily.

He had been sleeps all afternoon.

We had been working quietly.

Sleeps should be sleeping.

Explanation

Sleeps should be sleeping.

13. Which sentence shows background information?

The bell rang.

The class ended.

Students left the room.

The students had been working quietly before the bell rang.

The tense provides background context.

Explanation

The tense provides background context.

14. Which sentence uses past perfect continuous correctly?

I had been know the answer.

I had been knowing the answer.

I had been thinking about the answer.

I was been thinking about the answer.

Think works in continuous form; know does not.

Explanation

Think works in continuous form; know does not.

15. Using past perfect continuous helps writers

Avoid punctuation

Clarify timelines in past events

Remove details

Change sentence tone

It helps clarify what happened first and for how long.

Explanation

It helps clarify what happened first and for how long.

Tense Mastery: Past Perfect Continuous for Duration and Cause Quiz