What is the difference between the past perfect and past continuous tenses?

Tenses Questions



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What is the difference between the past perfect and past continuous tenses?

The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb "had" followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example, "She had already finished her homework before her friends arrived."

On the other hand, the past continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action that was happening in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb "was/were" followed by the present participle of the main verb. For example, "They were playing football when it started raining."

In summary, the main difference between the past perfect and past continuous tenses is that the past perfect focuses on the sequence of events in the past, while the past continuous focuses on ongoing actions in the past.