Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Worksheets and Exercises

May 15, 2025 by Liam Daniel

Our past perfect and past perfect continuous worksheets help learners compare, choose, and use the two tenses correctly through targeted activities like sentence completion, timeline exercises, error correction, and verb form practice. They’re ideal for intermediate students looking to improve their grammar and writing flow.

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Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Exercises

Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Exercise 1: Sentence Rewriting

Rewrite the sentence using either past perfect or past perfect continuous based on the context.

  1. She studied French for two years before she moved to Paris.
    → _______________________________________________

  2. He ate all the pizza before we arrived.
    → _______________________________________________

  3. They lived in Spain before moving to Germany.
    → _______________________________________________

  4. We played football for an hour when it started raining.
    → _______________________________________________

  5. I read the book before watching the movie.
    → _______________________________________________

Sample Answers:

  1. She had been studying French for two years before she moved to Paris.

  2. He had eaten all the pizza before we arrived.

  3. They had lived in Spain before moving to Germany.

  4. We had been playing football for an hour when it started raining.

  5. I had read the book before watching the movie.

Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Use the verb in parentheses in past perfect or past perfect continuous.

  1. He __________ (work) all morning, so he was very tired.

  2. We __________ (not/eat) when the food arrived.

  3. I __________ (live) there for 5 years before I moved.

  4. She __________ (practice) the violin before the concert.

  5. They __________ (already/leave) when we got there.

  6. The kids __________ (play) outside when it started to rain.

  7. I __________ (never/see) such a beautiful mountain before.

  8. My phone __________ (not/charge), so it was dead.

  9. We __________ (walk) for two hours before taking a break.

  10. He __________ (finish) the report before the meeting.

  11. She __________ (study) for the test all week.

  12. They __________ (not/meet) before the party.

  13. He __________ (run) for an hour when he injured his knee.

  14. We __________ (not/hear) the news until yesterday.

  15. I __________ (clean) the house for three hours before my guests arrived.

  16. The students __________ (already/start) the exam when I entered the room.

  17. You __________ (not/sleep), had you?

  18. We __________ (drive) for hours when the car broke down.

  19. She __________ (cook) dinner before the guests arrived.

  20. He __________ (work) on the project all day and needed a break.

Answer:

  1. had been working
  2. had not eaten
  3. had been living
  4. had been practicing
  5. had already left
  6. had been playing
  7. had never seen
  8. had not charged
  9. had been walking
  10. had finished
  11. had been studying
  12. had not met
  13. had been running
  14. had not heard
  15. had been cleaning
  16. had already started
  17. had not been sleeping
  18. had been driving
  19. had cooked
  20. had been working

Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Exercise 3: Time-Line Matching

Match the two actions in each sentence. Decide which came first and which tense (past perfect or past perfect continuous) fits better.

  1. I was tired because I had been studying all day.
  2. They had left before we arrived.
  3. She had been crying when I saw her.
  4. We had eaten by the time the guests came.
  5. He had been waiting for 30 minutes when the train arrived.
Sentence First Action Second Action Tense Used
       
       
       
       
       

Answer:

Sentence First Action Second Action Tense Used
1 studying was tired past perfect continuous
2 had left arrived past perfect
3 crying I saw her past perfect continuous
4 eaten guests came past perfect
5 waiting train arrived past perfect continuous

Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Exercise 4: Error Correction

Each sentence contains an error in the use of past perfect or past perfect continuous. Rewrite it correctly.

  1. She had studying for the test all night.
    → ___________________________________

  2. We had went to the mall before it rained.
    → ___________________________________

  3. They had been plays basketball for an hour.
    → ___________________________________

  4. I had been seen the movie before.
    → ___________________________________

  5. He had working at that company for years.
    → ___________________________________

Answer:

  1. She had been studying for the test all night.

  2. We had gone to the mall before it rained.

  3. They had been playing basketball for an hour.

  4. I had seen the movie before.

  5. He had been working at that company for years.

Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Exercise 5: Verb Form Drill

Choose the correct verb form for each sentence: past perfect or past perfect continuous.

  1. I __________ (had studied / had been studying) English before I moved to the UK.

  2. They __________ (had cleaned / had been cleaning) the house when the guests arrived.

  3. She __________ (had worked / had been working) there for 10 years before she quit.

  4. He __________ (had not eaten / had not been eating) anything all day.

  5. We __________ (had waited / had been waiting) at the station for an hour before the train came.

  6. The baby __________ (had cried / had been crying) when her mom picked her up.

  7. I __________ (had written / had been writing) the essay before the deadline.

  8. They __________ (had played / had been playing) video games for hours before dinner.

  9. You __________ (had heard / had been hearing) that song before, right?

  10. She __________ (had traveled / had been traveling) to Asia before she moved to Europe.

Answer:

  1. had been studying
  2. had cleaned
  3. had been working
  4. had not eaten
  5. had been waiting
  6. had been crying
  7. had written
  8. had been playing
  9. had heard
  10. had traveled
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