had been late

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of the sentence, "had been late," is a grammatically correct and usable phrase in written English.
This phrase is typically used in the past perfect tense. It suggests that something happened before a specific event or time in the past. For example: "I had been late for work the day before, so my boss was angry."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The company had been late in coming to Nigeria.

The Economist

"The Europeans had been late in waking up to the economic problems," he said.

The New York Times

He suggested that Syrian security forces had been late in assisting Mr. Ford.

The New York Times

The orange-grove-creating return journey was late because the aircraft had been late arriving.

The Economist

Nesting in Mexico had been late; on a normal year they would have been here by now.

Yale University

The Heathrow Express had been late, and British Airways' check-in lines were shockingly long.

MIT Technology Review

They had been late, we'd half-decided to leave, now oh well.

The New Yorker

Only one of his children, he added, had been late to school that day.

The New York Times

THE bus had been late before, and Millie Ho of Stamford expected the problems to continue.

The New York Times

Mr. Liao acknowledged on Thursday that he had been late in paying suppliers.

The New York Times

It had been late in the California afternoon, three in the morning Dutch time.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been late" to clearly establish that an action of being late occurred before another point in time in the past. This helps to clarify the sequence of events.

Common error

Avoid using "was late" when you need to emphasize that the lateness occurred before another past event. "Had been late" adds a layer of sequence that "was late" might not convey.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been late" functions as a verb phrase in the past perfect tense. It indicates that the action of being late occurred before another point in time in the past. Ludwig AI confirms this is grammatically correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Academia

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Science

4%

Wiki

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had been late" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase in the past perfect tense, used to indicate lateness before another past event. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability. It is most prevalent in news and media contexts, but also appears in academic and formal settings. When using this phrase, ensure you are emphasizing a sequence of events, differentiating it from the simple past tense "was late". Common alternatives include "was tardy", "was delayed", and "arrived behind schedule".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was not on time

States directly that someone was not punctual.

was tardy

Replaces "had been late" with a more formal synonym.

showed up late

Focuses on the act of arriving after the scheduled time.

was delayed

Indicates a postponement or holdup, similar to being late.

was unpunctual

Replaces "had been late" with a more formal and direct term for not being on time.

arrived behind schedule

Emphasizes the failure to meet a pre-arranged timeline.

was overdue

Suggests that something (or someone) was past the expected arrival or completion time.

missed the deadline

Focuses on failing to submit or complete something on time.

ran behind

Suggests a general state of being delayed or not on time.

was behind time

Indicates a state of being late or not keeping pace with the schedule.

FAQs

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

Use "had been late" to indicate that someone was late at a point in the past before another event occurred. For instance, "He "had been late" to the meeting, so he missed the important announcement."

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

You can use alternatives like "was tardy", "was delayed", or "arrived behind schedule" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "had been late" or "was late"?

Both are correct, but they have different meanings. "Was late" indicates a simple past event, while ""had been late"" indicates that the lateness occurred before another point in the past.

What's the difference between "had been late" and "was late"?

"Was late" describes being late at a specific time in the past. "Had been late" describes being late before another event in the past, emphasizing the sequence of events.