英语时态有16种之多，许多非常抽象，通常不是直接使用而是放在间接引语或虚拟语气中，过去完成进行时就是一例。过去完成进行时，就是相对过去的某个时刻来说已经对现在有直接影响并且还在进行的动作。放在间接引语或虚拟语气中时它的时态不能再向前推，向后推是现在完成进行时。

结构
　　主语 +had+been +doing （have/has随人称的变化而变化）

比较
　　过去完成进行时与过去完成时的用法很相近，它通常表示某个过去正在进行的动作或状态，持续到过去某个时刻，还未完成，一直持续到之后的当前才结束
　　He had been waiting for two weeks． He was still waiting．（有一个表示一段时间的状语）
　　Up to that time he had been translating those books．（He was still translating at “that time”．）
　　He had been writing the letter till two o'clock．
　　He was now thirty years old．He had been gambling since he was ten．（He was still gambling at thirty．）
　　He had been standing there in the sun．（没有时间状语）
　　He had been thinking about his marriage．
　　不过这种时态并不一定表示这个过去动作将持续下去：
　　He came back at seven．He had been waiting for her two hours．（At seven he did not wait any more．）
　　He stopped swimming．He had been swimming for the last three hours．

特别含义
　　1）尚未完成：
　　He had been writing the novel．（He had not finished it yet．）
　　2）企图：
　　He had been studying the meaning of this proverb．（He was trying to study it．）
　　3）未得结果：
　　We had been studying what our enemy had said．（But we were not able to understand it．）
　　4）最近情况：
　　He had been quarrelling with his wife．（lately）
　　5）反复动作：
　　He had been asking me the same question．（Many times）
　　6）情绪：
　　What had he been doing？（不耐烦）

特点
　　这种时态很少用在否定句中，而多以过去完成时代替：
　　He had not practised English for many years．（普通说法）
　　He had not been practising English for many years．（少见）
　　这种时态还可用在said，supposed等引起的间接引语中，代替现在完成进行时：
　　He said，“I have been speaking to John．”= He said that he had been speaking to John．
　　He thought，“She was watching me when I passed．”= He thought that she had been watching him when he had passed．
　　过去完成进行时经常与现在完成进行时混淆。
　　现在完成进行时 (The present perfect progressive) 由 have/has been +-ing 分词构成；
　　过去完成进行时（ The past perfect progressive tenses ）由 had been +-ing 分词构成．
　　现在/过去完成进行时的用法：
　　A. 在某段时间内一直进行的动作用现在完成进行时来强调动作在某段时间里的持续性．动作通常有"现在"的结果，要根据上下文来确定到"现在"为止，动作是否还在继续进行．同样，过去完成进行时表示在过去更早时间内进行的动作,并对过去某一时刻产生结果。
　　B.表示重复动作的现在/过去完成进行时
　　我们也可以用完成进行时形式来表示现在或过去经常重复的动作
　　注意：过去完成进行时和过去完成时类似，需要有过去这一时间点。

构成
　　过去完成进行时是由"had been + 现在分词"构成。
　　She had been suffering from a bad cold when she took the exam.
　　她在考试之前一直患重感冒。
　　Had they been expecting the news for some time?
　　他们期待这个消息有一段时间了吧？
　　Rafael was scolded even though he hadn't been doing anything wrong.
　　尽管拉斐尔没做什么错事，但他还是挨骂了。