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Use:
For things that had already happened before an action took place in the
past.
The film had already started when I arrived at the cinema.
When I came home I realized I had forgotten my keys.
I had no idea because nobody had told me about it.
key words: when, after, as soon as
In reported speech: referring to things that had happened before the time
of speaking/thinking.
Sara told me she had met Dave the day before.
I thought I had seen that man somewhere before.
The policeman man asked Mathew if he had witnessed the accident.
Use:
For longer actions that had begun before a given time in the past and that
were still going on at this given time.
[The past perfect continuous relates to the past just as the present perfect
continuous relates to the present.]
When I got there they had already been waiting for two hours.
[they had begun waiting two hours before and they were still waiting when
I got there]
The body had been lying unnoticed for a long time before it was found.