had been leaving

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had been leaving" is correct and usable in written English.
It is the past perfect continuous tense and is used to refer to an action that began in the past and continued up until a certain point in the past. For example, "I had been leaving when I saw the accident occur."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

56 human-written examples

"He had been leaving me threatening messages," he added.

The New York Times - Arts

One neighbour said he had been leaving the house to visit his girlfriend.

The Economist

Pete Townshend once apologised to fans who had been leaving concerts with their ears bleeding.

Independent

His voice broke — all those stump speeches had been leaving deep scratches on the record.

The New Yorker

Karen Ford told the BBC that she had been leaving the show when the blast occurred.

The New York Times

"Many of my friends had been leaving — going wherever they could, to Shanghai, Australia, Borneo, South America, the United States.

The New Yorker

By that measure, more people had been leaving the city than arriving for at least a half-century.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

4 human-written examples

Supposing something had been left in there?

The New Yorker

"People with disabilities had been left behind.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

It had been left abandoned.

The Guardian - Arts

Agüero had been left out.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been leaving" to describe an action that was ongoing before another event occurred in the past. For example, "She had been leaving the house when the phone rang."

Common error

Avoid using "had been leaving" when a simple past tense like "left" or past continuous like "was leaving" would suffice. "Had been leaving" emphasizes the duration of the action before another point in time.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been leaving" functions as a past perfect continuous verb phrase. It indicates an action that started in the past and continued until another point in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

98%

Science

1%

Wiki

1%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had been leaving" is a past perfect continuous verb phrase used to describe an action that began in the past and continued until another point in the past. As Ludwig AI states, the phrase is grammatically correct and frequently used, particularly in News & Media contexts. When using this phrase, ensure that you're emphasizing the duration of the action before another event occurred. Alternatives such as "was in the process of departing" or "had started to leave" can be used depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was in the midst of leaving

Emphasizes that the action of leaving was ongoing.

had started to leave

Focuses on the initiation of the act of leaving.

was in the process of departing

Emphasizes the process of leaving at a particular time.

was in the act of departing

Highlights the action of starting a journey or leaving a location.

was exiting

Focuses on the act of going out or away from a place.

was walking away from

Highlights the physical act of leaving a place or situation.

was withdrawing from

Implies a more formal or strategic departure.

was pulling away from

Suggests a departure involving a vehicle or some form of physical removal.

was abandoning

Suggests leaving something or someone behind, often with negative connotations.

was taking off from

Implies a quick or abrupt departure, often used in the context of travel.

FAQs

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

Use "had been leaving" to describe an action that was in progress before another event in the past. For example, "They "had been leaving" the party when the police arrived."

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

"Was leaving" describes an action in progress at a specific time in the past, while "had been leaving" describes an action that started earlier and continued until a specific point in the past. The sentence “She "was leaving" when I saw her” means that, at the moment I saw her, she was in the process of going away. Instead, the sentence “She "had been leaving" when I saw her” means that the action of going away had started before, and was still in progress at the moment I saw her.

Can I use "had been leaving" to describe a future event?

No, "had been leaving" is a past perfect continuous tense, so it's only used to describe actions in the past. To talk about a future event, you would need to use a future tense.

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

Depending on the context, you could use alternatives like "was exiting", "had started to leave", or "was in the process of departing".