had been repeated

USAGE SUMMARY

"had been repeated" is a correct and usable part of a sentence in written English.
It is the past perfect tense of the verb "repeat". You can use it to refer to a past action that occurred before another past action, or to emphasize the duration of the action or its repetition. For example: "The mistake had been repeated several times before it was finally corrected."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Police officials said there had been repeated arrests for drugs in that block.

The New York Times

It said there had been "repeated and persistent departures from professional standards".

The Times

Before that there had been repeated attempts by the British military authorities to encourage him to go to America.

The Guardian

In interviews at the complex, residents of the 12-story building said there had been repeated problems with the elevators.

The New York Times

If Brown's £558,000 bonus from a year ago had been repeated, riots might have broken out on station platforms.

The Guardian - Business

But Robert Biancavilla, the deputy chief of the district attorney's major offense bureau, said there had been repeated blows.

The New York Times

Indeed, within twenty-four hours the rumor had been repeated on the Internet and on cable TV.

The New Yorker

There had been repeated hints of their intentions and efforts to hone their skills, according to dozens of interviews, court documents and government disclosures.

The New York Times

The Hong Kong Bar Association condemned what it said had been "repeated, systematic, indiscriminate and excessive" use of tear gas against demonstrators.

The New York Times

The truism that people won't pay for general news content had been repeated so often that it became an accepted fact.

The Guardian - Opinion

Either Ebola was boring or everyone had decided to grit his teeth and cling to the lines that had been repeated throughout the night.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about information that "had been repeated", ensure that the original source or context is adequately referenced to provide transparency and credibility.

Common error

Avoid using "had been repeated" when simple past tense suffices. Overusing the past perfect can make your writing sound unnecessarily convoluted. Use it specifically to show that the repetition occurred before another past action.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been repeated" functions as the past perfect passive form of the verb 'repeat'. It is used to indicate that an action of repeating something occurred before another point in the past. Ludwig AI confirms this is a correct usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

36%

Science

33%

Academia

18%

Less common in

Formal & Business

6%

Wiki

4%

Reference

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "had been repeated" is a grammatically correct and commonly used construction, functioning as the past perfect passive of 'repeat'. As Ludwig AI clarifies, it signifies an action that was reiterated before another point in the past. Its usage spans various contexts, including news, science, and academic writing, indicating its versatility. When writing, it's important to use this phrase to clearly establish a sequence of past events, emphasizing that something was reiterated before a subsequent action or time. While "had been repeated" is generally correct, be mindful of simpler alternatives and overuse of the past perfect tense that may unnecessarily complicate your writing. Top sources like The New York Times and The Guardian showcase its prevalence in authoritative contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

was reiterated

Focuses on the act of restating something, emphasizing the confirmation or reinforcement of a previous statement.

was restated

Highlights the act of saying something again, often for clarity or emphasis.

was reaffirmed

Emphasizes the confirmation of something that was previously stated or established.

was echoed

Suggests that a statement or idea was subsequently expressed by others, highlighting its resonance.

was replicated

Implies a more formal or scientific reproduction of something.

was duplicated

Focuses on the action of creating an exact copy or recurrence of something.

had recurred

Focuses on the event happening again, often after an interval.

had happened again

Simplifies the idea to a basic re-occurrence of an event or situation.

was regurgitated

Suggests a thoughtless repetition of something, often implying a lack of originality.

had transpired again

Offers a more formal way to express the re-occurrence of an event.

FAQs

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

The phrase "had been repeated" indicates that something was said or done again before a specific time in the past. For example, "The warning about the storm "had been repeated" several times before the hurricane made landfall."

What are some alternatives to "had been repeated"?

You can use alternatives such as "was reiterated", "was restated", or "was echoed" depending on the context.

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

Using "has been repeated" implies the action is relevant to the present, whereas "had been repeated" refers to an action completed before a specific point in the past. Choose the tense that accurately reflects the timeline of events.

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

"Was repeated" simply indicates that an action happened again in the past. "Had been repeated", on the other hand, specifies that the repetition occurred before another event in the past. For example, "The experiment "was repeated"" versus "The experiment "had been repeated" before the results were published."