一、結構形式

過去完成進行時由“had been+現在分詞”構成，因此無人稱變化。

二、用法歸納

■過去完成進行時表示持續到過去某時的一個動作(可算是現在完成進行時的過去式)：

The ground was wet. It had been raining. 地是濕的。此前一直在下雨。

At last the bus came. I had been waiting for half an hour. 最后公共汽車來了，我已等了半小時。

She was out of breath. She had been running. 她氣喘吁吁，她一直在跑來著。

He gave up smoking last year. He’d been smoking for twenty years. 去年他戒煙了。他抽煙已經二十年。

■過去時間可用一個時間狀語表示：

When I first met her, she had been working in the company for ten years. 我第一次見到她時，她在那家公司已工作十年了。

I had not been waiting long when a taxi drew up. 我沒等多久就來了一輛出租車。

She had been looking at the parcel for some time before she realized that it was for her mother. 這包裹她看了好一會兒才明白這是寄給她媽的。

Until/Up till then she had been living with her daughter. 到那時為止她一直和她女兒一起住。

■但在更多情況下過去時間由另一句子表示出來，毋需加上時間狀語：

Her eyes were red. It was obvious she had been crying. 她眼睛紅紅的，顯然她是哭了。

Jane was annoyed. Peter had been phoning her every night. 簡很不高興。彼得一直每晚給打電話。

He was very tired. He had been working all day. 他很累。他干了一整天活。

She couldn’t understand him. She hadn’t been learning English long. 她不懂他的話。她學語的時間還不長。

I woke up—I had been having a bad dream. 我醒了，我做了個惡夢。

She was very tired. She had been typing letters all day. 她很累了。她整天都在打信件。

Her eyes were red. It was obvious she had been crying. 她的眼睛紅了，顯然她剛哭過。

We had been doing business with each other for years before we quarrelled. 在吵翻之前，我們多年來在業務上一直來往。

When I first met Ann, she had been working for Exxon for 15 years. 我第一次遇到安的時候，她已在埃克森公司干了15年了。

Jenny was annoyed. Jim had been phoning her every night for a whole week. 詹妮生氣了。整整一星期，吉姆天天晚上都給她打電話。

■有時上下文可說明是談過去的事，因此不需要時間狀語：

She had been watching TV all day. 她看了一天的電視。

I had been reading your book. 我一直在看你寫的書。

The rain had been pouring all night. 傾盆大雨下了一整夜。

We had been travelling in many countries. 我們一直在許多國家旅游。

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