Past Perfect

Many people (had died / had been dying) in car accidents before safety belts were invented.

The police wanted to know what I (had done / had been doing) between 3 and 5 the previous night.

Andrew (had travelled / had been travelling) for three months around Asia before he started his studies last year.

We (hadn’t realised / hadn’t been realising) how lucky we were to survive the accident.

We (had known / had been knowing) each other before we started college.

The thieves (had stolen / had been stealing) over 20 cars before the police caught them.

Ben couldn’t come to the party yesterday because he (had broken / had been breaking) his leg.

Mike was upset because he (had failed / had been failing) his driving exam.

We didn’t know that Melanie and Joe (had got / had been getting) divorced a few months earlier.

(Had you read / Had you been reading) Mary’s emails before we entered the room? You closed the laptop so quickly!

How long (had she waited / had she been waiting) before the shop manager talked to her?

After Mark (had lost / had been losing) his job, he decided to move in with his girlfriend.

We (hadn’t talked / hadn’t been talking) for more than 10 minutes when Ms Jones interrupted us.

Michelle (hadn’t read / hadn’t been reading) the set book and failed the literature test.

Lisa (had slept / had been sleeping) for only 10 minutes when the telephone woke her up.

How many candidates (had Mr Grant talked / had Mr Grant been talking) to before he made his decision?

How long (had you been / had you been being) at home when you noticed that the jewellery was missing?

My sister (had tried / had been trying) to lift the heavy box for a few minutes before she finally gave up and asked me for help.

Matt (hadn’t travelled / hadn’t been travelling) by himself before the last holidays.

My father retired last year after he (had worked / had been working) for over forty years.