had been feeling

USAGE SUMMARY

'had been feeling' is a correct and usable form of written English.
You can use 'had been feeling' to express a past action that occurred over a period of time before another event. For example: "He had been feeling unwell for most of the week before finally deciding to go to the doctor."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

I had been feeling strong, but now I feel vulnerable again.

Huffington Post

I had been feeling the build-up".

The New York Times

She had been feeling stuck.

The New York Times

My t4 is 1.7 I had been feeling ok.

Harvard University

Yet recently she had been feeling dislocated.

The Guardian - Books

Collins had been feeling a nagging of a different sort.

The New Yorker

"Pressure," he said, when asked what he had been feeling.

The New York Times

The last week in March Roddy had been feeling miserable.

The New Yorker

For months, she had been feeling untethered and lost.

The Guardian

Lately I had been feeling unusually foreign to myself.

The New Yorker

At halftime, he finally told Putukian how he had been feeling.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been feeling" to describe a continuous emotional or physical state leading up to a specific point in the past. This emphasizes the duration and buildup of the feeling.

Common error

Avoid using "had been feeling" when a simple past tense like "felt" is sufficient. "Had been feeling" is most appropriate when the feeling's duration or build-up is important to the context.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been feeling" functions as a past perfect continuous verb phrase. It indicates an action or state (feeling) that was in progress before another point in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

69%

Science

15%

Wiki

5%

Less common in

Academia

2%

Formal & Business

2%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had been feeling" is a grammatically sound and commonly used past perfect continuous verb phrase. Ludwig AI confirms this, showcasing its usage across diverse contexts such as news, science, and personal narratives. It's particularly effective for describing a prolonged emotional or physical state preceding a specific past event. When using the phrase, consider whether the duration or build-up of the feeling is essential to the context, differentiating it from the simple past tense "felt". Alternatives like "was experiencing" or "had sensed" can be employed to achieve subtle variations in meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was experiencing

Focuses on the experience itself, rather than the emotional state.

had experienced

Focuses on the completed experience, less on the duration.

was sensing

Implies an intuitive or subconscious awareness.

had sensed

Similar to "was sensing", but emphasizes the completion of the sensing.

was undergoing

Suggests a process or change in emotional condition.

had undergone

Suggests a process or transformation, similar to 'was undergoing', but completed.

had noticed

Indicates a conscious recognition of a feeling.

was aware of

Highlights the consciousness of the feeling.

had been aware of

Similar to "was aware of", but in past perfect continuous.

was harboring

Suggests holding onto a feeling, often negative.

FAQs

How do I use "had been feeling" in a sentence?

Use "had been feeling" to describe a state or emotion that persisted for a period of time before a specific event in the past. For example, "She "had been feeling" unwell for days before she saw a doctor."

What's the difference between "had been feeling" and "felt"?

"Felt" describes a single instance of feeling something. "Had been feeling" describes a feeling that lasted for a period of time. For example, "I felt sad" vs. "I "had been feeling" sad for weeks."

What can I say instead of "had been feeling"?

You can use alternatives like "was experiencing", "was sensing", or "was undergoing" depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is "had been feeling" formal or informal?

"Had been feeling" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts. The level of formality depends more on the surrounding vocabulary and sentence structure rather than the phrase itself.