过去完成进行时表示的是开始于比过去某个时间还要早而且不停顿地延续到这个时间的行为,因此与这种时态连用的时间状语必须有“过去的过去”和“还可以在其间进行”的含义.常用的时间状语有 for …（延续了…时间）,since…（到…那时以来）,by …（到…那个时间为止）,all the …（一整…时间）如：
He told me that he had been waiting for me for two hours.他跟我说他一直等了我两个小时未曾离开.
Yesterday he told me that he had been reading the full-length novel since the day before last.他告诉过我从前天开始他一直都在读这本小说来着.
By the end of last year,he had been working in the factore.到去年年底为止,他一直都在这家工厂工作来着.
He had been laying wakeful all the night yesterday.昨天他彻夜未眠.