Thì quá khứ hoàn thành tiếp diễn được dùng để diễn tả quá trình xảy ra 1 hành động bắt đầu trước một hành động khác trong quá khứ.

* Cách dùng

Hành động diễn ra trước 1 hành động khác

- I had been working for three hours when you arrived.

- Susan had been thinking about the idea for a while when he made the suggestion.

Hành động đang xảy ra trong 1 khoảng thời gian trong quá khứ thì có 1 hành động khác xảy ra 

- I had been playing tennis for two hours when I sprained my ankle.

- Jane had been studying for two years when he was drafted into the army.

Hành động xảy ra để chuẩn bị cho 1 hành động khác

- I had been practicing for three days and was ready for the concert.

- Tom had been studying hard and felt good about the test he was about to take.

Trong câu điều kiện loại 3

- If I had been working on that project, we would have been successful.

- She would have been ready for the test if she had been preparing diligently.

Các từ, cụm từ đi kèm:

before, when

Cấu trúc

Khẳng định

Chủ ngữ + had + been + verb + ing

I, You, He, She, We, They had been working for two hours when she telephoned.

Phủ định

Chủ ngữ + had + not (hadn’t) + been + verb + ing

I, You, He, She, We, They hadn’t been paying attention for long when he asked the question.

Nghi vấn

Từ để hỏi (thường là ‘How long’) + had + been + chủ ngữ + verb + ing ?

How long -> had he, she, you, we, they been working before he arrived?