2.2. Transform into negative and interrogative forms.

1. Ben felt frustrated, because he had been trying to open his door for an hour.

2. When Betty came home from the beach, her eyes were red, because she had been lying in the sun too much.

3. When he came into the room, no one was smoking, but somebody had been smoking in this room.

4. When the test was over, the students looked tired, because they had been writing it for 4 hours.

5. When he got up from the table, he had been reading up for an hour for the exam.

6. When Jane opened her eyes, she saw snow everywhere. It had been snowing the whole night.

7. Jim came home with dirty hands, because he had been working in the garden since morning.

8. They had been watching TV for half an hour when their parents came.

9. The orchestra had been playing for 10 minutes when a man ran into the hall.

10. Mother had been cooking dinner for 10 minutes when Hazel came to help her.

2.3. Use the Past Perfect Continuous instead of the infinitive in brackets.

1. He looked at her. He knew she (to cry).

2. She told him about her plan, which she (to think of) the whole morning.

3. Molly closed the book which she (to read) and looked at her friends.

4. Paul (to think) for some time before he dared to answer.

5. How long Tony (to read) when this terrible accident happened?

6. When the lesson was over, the teacher asked the students to hand in the tests they (to write) since its beginning.

7. How long they (to wait) for a taxi before it came?

8. How long this man (to stand) there and (to watch) you before you noticed him?

9. “What are you thinking of?” he asked after he (to look at) her a few seconds. But she didn’t answer.

10. Who (to sit) here before I came?

2.4. Join the following sentences. Use the Past Perfect Continuous in the main clause according to the model:

Model: They began watching TV. After half an hour their parents came.

They had been watching TV for half an hour when their parents came.

1. We had arranged to meet in the cafe. I came and began waiting. After 15 minutes I realized that I had come to the wrong cafe.

2. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson went to live to Sussex. Six months later their son joined them.

3. We started to play football at about 3. Somewhere about half past 3 it began to rain.

4. Bernard couldn’t calm the baby down. It was crying. After 15 minutes his wife came.

5. Brian was trying to fix his car. After several hours he gave up the idea.

6. Faith sat down and began to write her report. After half an hour her sister called her.

7. She worked for this company. After 25 years she retired.

8. The family began watching an interesting film. After half an hour the TV broke down.

9. We sat down to dinner. After 5 minutes the door-bell rang.

10. Margo went to the park. After 10 minutes she realised that she had forgotten to close the door.

2.5. Express the same idea. Use the Past Perfect Continuous according to the model.

Model: We knew he had begun to play hockey years before and he was still playing it.

We knew he had been playing hockey for years.

1. Marsha said that she had started jogging 2 months before and she enjoyed jogging a lot.

2. Tom looked tired when I came to see him at 5. He had started working early in the morning and was still working.

3. When Jack telephoned Marion, she was still busy with cleaning the flat though she had begun cleaning it 3 hours before.

4. Ann’s mother said that her daughter had started looking for a job 6 months before and she was still looking for it.

5. The assistant said that Roger had begun to copy the report half and hour before and was still copying it.

6. Carol remarked that she had started to explore the problem when she was a student and she was still interested in it.

7. The boss got angry because his secretary had begun to type a letter an hour before and she was still doing it.

8. We learnt that Jeremy had begun working as a librarian 3 years before and he was still working there.

9. She knew that John and his brothers had started training to climb the mountains 6 months before and they were still training.

10. Everybody knew that they had started building a house and they were still doing it.