When to Use the Past Perfect or the Past Perfect Progressive
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In many cases, you can use either the past perfect or the past perfect progressive. Remember these tips:
1) You can use either the past perfect or past perfect progressive when stating a specific time period.
2) The past perfect emphasizes time. The past perfect progressive emphasizes time
more. It's a subtle difference, and you can choose what you want to do.
3) When you use the past perfect progressive, you do need to state the time period. With the past perfect, it's optional.
Challenge: Describe something that you accomplished in the past
that required a lot of time and effort. Use both the past perfect and
the past perfect progressive in your story.
Example
I had been running for five years when I decided to run a marathon. I
had decided to run a marathon in my city when my friend suggested I try
the Boston Marathon. I trained for six months for that event. I had
been running well for three months when I sprained my ankle. I had to
see a physical therapist to recover quickly. Finally, I ran the Boston
Marathon. I had trained for six months in total, and I felt great when
I finished.
