had been doing (going on before then) (B1 Grammar)

You know had + the past participle for an earlier past action (the bus had left). To show an action that was going on for a while before another past moment, use had been + the -ing form. It puts how-long in the spotlight.

had been + the -ing form

• I had been studying for three hours when she called.
• They had been waiting for an hour when the bus arrived.
• She had been living there for years before she moved.
• Try it: When the rain finally stopped, we ___ under the tree for twenty minutes. (had been sheltering / were sheltering / had sheltered) Answer: had been sheltering — It was going on for a while before the other past moment (the rain stopping), with how-long in view, so use had been + the -ing form: had been sheltering. "Were sheltering" doesn't show it began before that point, and "had sheltered" sounds finished rather than ongoing.

the evidence you could see, back then

This is the same idea as have been doing for the evidence you can see — just moved back. Use had been + the -ing form to explain the evidence you could see at a past moment: the activity had stopped just before, but the sign it left was still there. Compare: Her eyes are red — she has been crying (evidence now) · Her eyes were red — she had been crying (evidence back then).

• The ground was wet because it had been raining.
• Her eyes were red. She had been crying.
• We were out of breath because we had been running.
• Try it: His hands were covered in flour. He ___ bread all morning. (had been baking / baked / was baking) Answer: had been baking — The flour on his hands was the leftover sign of an activity from just before, so use had been + the -ing form to explain it: had been baking. "Baked" just states a finished fact, and "was baking" doesn't point back from that past moment to the earlier activity that left the evidence you could see.

hadn't been / Had you been ...?

For the negative, use hadn't been + the -ing form. To ask, put Had first: Had + person + been + the -ing form. (hadn't = had not.)

• He was pale. He hadn't been eating properly.
• Had you been waiting long when I arrived?
• How long had she been working there before she left?
• Try it: ___ you been waiting long when the doctor finally called you in? (Had / Did / Were) Answer: Had — To ask about something that had been going on before a past moment, start with Had: Had you been waiting? "Did you been" and "Were you been" are not real forms. This one uses Had + been + the -ing form.

had done or had been doing?

Both look back before a past moment, but they spotlight different things. had + the past participle points to something finished — a completed result, or how many. had been + the -ing form points to the activity itself — still going on at that moment, or how long it had lasted.

• I had written the report. (done — it was complete)
• I had been writing the report all day. (activity — how long)
• She had read three books before the trip. (how many, finished)
• Try it: One reads three whole books before the trip; the other is partway through one when the trip starts. Which pair is right? (She had read three books, and he had been reading his when we left. / She had been reading three books, and he had read his when we left. / She had read three books, and he had read his when we left.) Answer: She had read three books, and he had been reading his when we left. — Three whole books finished = the past participle: had read. Still in the middle of one = had been + the -ing form: had been reading. Use had done for what was complete, and had been doing for what was still going on.