had been liaising

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had been liaising" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to describe an ongoing communication or collaboration that occurred in the past before another event. Example: "Before the project was finalized, the team had been liaising with various stakeholders to gather their input."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

He added that Thai police had been liaising with their British counterparts.

The Guardian

Superintendent Malik said police had been liaising closely with Georgia's family, "who are naturally devastated by the events of yesterday afternoon and late this afternoon as well".

Independent

The centre said it had been liaising both with South Wales police and the Muthana brothers' father, Ahmed, who has also questioned the role the centre played in his sons' actions.

The Guardian

A Fifa spokesman, meanwhile, confirmed the organisation had been liaising with the FA over the matter and said the decision to not discipline the club was down to the host authority.

The Guardian - Sport

The difficulty is that you had been liaising on their behalf via Opodo, which does not seem to have made much effort to secure a refund from the airline.

The Guardian - Money

He had been liaising again with counterparts at the NSA, who were part of an effort to create an American cyber defence policy, to prevent the siphoning off of secret or commercially sensitive data or a military style assault on defence or civil systems.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

"We've been liaising with the Met Office for the past couple of days," said Northern Ireland Electricity's (NIE) Julia Carson.

The Guardian

The Olympic effort also involves private investors building 10,000 new hotel rooms and boosting telecoms capacity.The Rio organisers have been liaising with their London counterparts since 2009.

The Economist

The FCC has been liaising with various outfits, including the armed forces and NASA, to secure airwaves that can be used temporarily for private launches.

The Economist

"They say it's all about Europe externalising and outsourcing its own problems," said the diplomat, who has been liaising with the African governments.

The Guardian

I've had shops like Harvey Nichols ring me up, telling me we're causing them a lot of problems with supply, so we've been liaising with them, too.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been liaising" to describe a past, ongoing communication or collaboration that preceded another event. It accurately conveys that the interaction happened over a period of time before something else occurred.

Common error

Avoid using "had been liaising" when describing current or future actions. This phrase denotes a completed action in the past, so ensure the tense aligns with the intended meaning. For present continuous use "is liaising" and for past simple use "liaised".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been liaising" functions as a past perfect continuous verb phrase. It indicates an action (liaising) that was in progress over a period of time that ended before another point in the past. Ludwig examples showcase its use in describing past collaborations and communications.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

68%

Science

16%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had been liaising" is a grammatically correct past perfect continuous verb phrase used to describe an ongoing communication or collaboration that occurred before a specific point in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its proper usage in written English. While not extremely common, it appears frequently in news and media sources. Related phrases include "had been communicating" and "had been coordinating". When using this phrase, ensure that the tense accurately reflects the past and ongoing nature of the action. The phrase has a neutral register making it appropriate for professional and news contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had been coordinating

Emphasizes the act of organizing and synchronizing efforts.

had been communicating

Focuses on the exchange of information.

had been in contact

Highlights the state of having communication with someone.

had been consulting

Suggests seeking advice or guidance from someone.

had been in discussions

Focuses on formal conversations or negotiations.

had been working together

Emphasizes collaboration and joint effort.

had been collaborating

Highlights a cooperative effort towards a common goal.

had been corresponding

Implies communication through letters or emails.

had been networking

Focuses on building and maintaining professional relationships.

had been interfacing

Highlights interaction between systems or individuals.

FAQs

How can I use "had been liaising" in a sentence?

Use "had been liaising" to describe ongoing communication or coordination that occurred in the past before a specific event or point in time. For example, "Before the merger was announced, our team "had been liaising" with the legal department for several weeks".

What's a good alternative to "had been liaising"?

Depending on the context, you can replace "had been liaising" with phrases like "had been communicating", "had been coordinating", or "had been in contact".

Is it correct to say "has been liaising" instead of "had been liaising"?

The choice between "has been liaising" and "had been liaising" depends on the timeframe you're referencing. "Has been liaising" indicates an action that started in the past and continues to the present, while ""had been liaising"" indicates an action completed in the past before another event.

What is the difference between "liaising" and "collaborating"?

"Liaising" generally involves acting as a link or maintaining communication between parties. "Collaborating", on the other hand, implies working together jointly to achieve a common goal. You might "liaise" to share information, but you "collaborate" to create something together.