had been revising

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had been revising" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to indicate an action that was ongoing in the past before another action occurred. Example: "She had been revising for her exams for weeks before she finally felt prepared."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

It felt like I had been revising for exams and had finally got to test myself.

The Guardian

The agency, which had been revising downward its predictions all year, forecast growth of 2 million barrels a day for 2008 when the year started.

The New York Times

Stanley M. Sanger, the superintendent, said that the district had been revising its curriculum to better cover skills required on the tests.

The New York Times

The participants then took a test on the passages they had been revising, rating how distracting their environment had been, as well as writing down their predictions for how well they thought they had done.

The Guardian

Professor Sheffield said mainstream historians had been revising their opinions of the conflict over the past three decades overturning the "bad war" theory which had taken hold in the 1930s.

Independent

With renewed insight, I plunged into the novel manuscript I had been revising and within months landed an agent.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

And so "history had been revised".

The Guardian - Books

Costs had been revised up while proposed benefits had been revised down.

The Economist

By Friday, that figure had been revised down to 4.1percentt.

The New York Times

Growth had been revised up by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, Hammond said, while the budget deficit had been revised down.

The Guardian

Those estimates had been revised downward, though.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had been revising" to clearly indicate an action of revising that took place over a period of time before another action or a specific point in the past. This helps establish a clear sequence of events in your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "had been revising" when you simply need to express a completed action in the past. Ensure the context requires emphasizing the continuous nature of the revising process before a subsequent event.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had been revising" functions as a past perfect continuous verb phrase. It indicates an action that was ongoing in the past before another action or time. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a grammatically sound way to express prolonged activity before a specific point in time.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

71%

Science

29%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had been revising" is a grammatically correct past perfect continuous tense phrase used to describe an action of revising that was ongoing before another event in the past. Ludwig AI confirms its validity. While not extremely common, the phrase appears in diverse contexts, particularly News & Media, where clarifying timelines is important. When writing, remember to use "had been revising" to clearly emphasize the duration of the revising process before a specific point in time, and avoid using it simply to denote a completed action. Alternatives such as "had been reviewing" or "was actively revising" offer similar meanings with slightly different nuances.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had been reviewing

Replaces "revising" with "reviewing", suggesting a more general examination of material.

was actively revising

Emphasizes the ongoing nature of the revision process at a particular time.

was in the process of revising

Emphasizes the act of revising as an ongoing activity at a specific time in the past.

had carefully revised

Adds the element of care and precision to the act of revising.

had been going over

Informal alternative, conveying the act of checking or studying something again.

had worked on revisions

Indicates effort put into making revisions.

had systematically revised

Implies that revisions were done in an organized and methodical manner.

had spent time revising

Highlights the time dedicated to the revision process.

had dedicated time to revising

Highlights commitment to revise something

had previously revised

Focuses on the prior action of revising, without necessarily implying a continuous process.

FAQs

How is "had been revising" used in a sentence?

Use "had been revising" to describe an action of revising that was in progress for a period of time before another action occurred, for example: "She "had been revising" her essay for weeks before submitting it".

What are some alternatives to "had been revising"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "had been reviewing", "was in the process of revising", or "had been going over".

What’s the difference between "had been revising" and "had revised"?

"Had been revising" emphasizes the continuous nature of the action over a period of time, while "had revised" simply indicates that the action of revising was completed at some point in the past.

When should I use "had been revising" instead of "was revising"?

Use "had been revising" when you need to establish that the action of revising occurred before another action in the past. "Was revising" indicates an action in progress at a specific time in the past, without necessarily implying a sequence of events.