0
Whatchadoin Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Past perfect continuous

I know that we should avoid using the past perfect if a sequence of events is clear. Does the same apply for the past perfect continuous?

I had been working out for 5 months when I stopped.

Thanks.
  

Top answer

Yes, somewhere in the context is another past action.

— Mister Micawber

  • Yes, somewhere in the context is another past action.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

7 Answers
0
Yes, somewhere in the context is another past action.
0
0
'I had been working out for 5 months when I stopped.' not only does it make perfect sense to me, but it is also grammatically correct.
Louis
0
0
Mhmm, I know it makes perfect sense. Something else keeps bugging me, though.

I had been working out for 5 months when I stopped.
I worked out for 5 months when I stopped.

I would go with simple past here in a heartbeat—no question.
Why does the past perfect continuous exist when we can always use the past simple when describing an event that took place before some other
0
0
whatchadoinI worked out for 5 months when I stopped.
Sorry, but to me it is a temporal conundrum: how could I stop and work out at the same time?
whatchadoinI was waiting for over an hour before she told me she wasn't sure.I had been waiting for over an hour before she told me she wasn't sure.Why can't I use the past perfect continuous
0
0
If you don't apply Past Perfect Continuous, you lose its essence which is in showing a duration in past (imperfect aspect). Sequence of actions is not the reason to apply tenses. Nevetheless, if you DO use Past Perfect to show the sequence, you should use Past Perfect Continuous if the action is process, not event. At least, it's consistent.

Besides, if you avoid using Past Perfect when t
0
0
Mister MicawberYou can use it if you wish to emphasize the waiting period;
I'm completely and totally lost now. I was told many times that I had to use the past perfect continuous when describing an action that happened before another action in the past. And I've been using it that way since I was told for the first time. Just as in the following sentences.
0
0
whatchadoinWe had been texting for more than four months when she told me she didn't want to talk to me anymore.We were texting for more than four months when she told me she didn't want to talk to me anymore.
The sequence of events is not absolutely clear in the second. It is in the first. It's 'when' that makes the second unclear. If the conunction had been
0

Related Questions