Correct Use Of Has Been, Have Been And Had Been In English Grammar
All three phrases – has been, have been, and had been – are forms of the verb “to be” used with past participles of other verbs to create perfect tenses.
Has Been and Have Been
Present Perfect Continuous Tense: “Has been” and “have been” are used to describe actions that started in the past and are still continuing or have recently stopped.
- Has been: Used with singular subjects (he, she, it).
- Have been: Used with plural subjects (we, you, they) and the pronoun “I”.
Examples:
- Has been:
- She has been working here for five years.
- He has been studying English since last summer.
- Have been:
- They have been traveling around Europe for a month.
- I have been feeling better lately.
Had Been
Past Perfect Continuous Tense: “Had been” is used to describe actions that were ongoing up until a certain point in the past.
Examples:
- She had been living in New York before she moved to Los Angeles.
- They had been waiting for an hour before the bus finally arrived.
- I had been thinking about calling you when you texted me.
Usage Breakdown
Has Been / Have Been:
- Form: has/have + been + present participle (verb + ing)
- Usage: Actions started in the past and continue to the present or were happening recently.
- She has been reading that book for weeks.
- They have been playing soccer since they were kids.
Had Been:
- Form: had + been + present participle (verb + ing)
- Usage: Actions that were ongoing in the past and had finished before another past action.
- He had been working at the company for ten years before he retired.
- I had been thinking about it when you mentioned it.
Difference between Has been, Have been and Had been
| Has Been | Have Been | Had Been | |
| Tense | Present Perfect Continuous | Present Perfect Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
| Usage | Actions started in the past and continuing to the present or recently stopped | Actions started in the past and continuing to the present or recently stopped | Actions ongoing in the past and completed before another past action |
| Form | has + been + present participle (verb + ing) | have + been + present participle (verb + ing) | had + been + present participle (verb + ing) |
| Subject Agreement | Singular third-person subjects (he, she, it) | Plural subjects (we, you, they) and “I” | All subjects (singular and plural) |
| Examples | – She has been working here for five years. – He has been studying English since last summer. – It has been raining all day. | – They have been traveling around Europe for a month. – We have been friends since childhood. – I have been feeling better lately. | – She had been living in New York before she moved to Los Angeles. – They had been waiting for an hour before the bus finally arrived. – I had been thinking about calling you when you texted me. |
These distinctions help ensure that your sentences are grammatically correct and convey the intended time frame and subject-verb agreement.
