had now been

USAGE SUMMARY

"had now been" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate completed action in the past in relation to a reference point in the past. For example: "He had now been living in the city for two years."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

That problem had now been solved.

The New Yorker

Those had now been abruptly removed.

The New York Times

Two Northern whites had now been murdered.

The New Yorker

All had now been sacked.

The Guardian

His identity had now been revealed.

The Guardian - Sport

Mr. Juncker said those measures had now been identified.

The New York Times

Salazar had now been down for six minutes.

The New Yorker

Orkin said the science had now been worked out.

The Guardian

However, Valcke said the process had now been postponed.

The Guardian - Sport

She had now been in touch with all the archives.

The Guardian - Opinion

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

1 human-written examples

I recently spoke to somebody with a similar Jetta that had now been repaired.

The Guardian - Money

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had now been" to clearly establish that an action or state was completed or ongoing before a specific reference point in the past. This helps create a clear timeline for your reader.

Common error

Avoid using "had now been" when a simple past tense would suffice. This phrase is best used when contrasting two past events or establishing a sequence of past actions where one is completed before the other.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had now been" functions as a past perfect continuous passive construction. It indicates an action or state that started in the past, continued for a period, and was completed or ongoing before another point in the past. Ludwig confirms this usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

72%

Science

15%

Wiki

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had now been" is a grammatically sound and frequently used past perfect continuous passive construction. As Ludwig AI confirms, it serves to indicate an action or state that started in the past, continued for a period, and was completed or ongoing before another point in the past. It's most commonly found in news and media contexts, offering a way to establish clear timelines and sequences of events. When using this phrase, be mindful of tense sequencing to avoid errors, and consider alternatives like "had already been" or "had previously been" depending on the specific nuance you wish to convey.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had by then been

Emphasizes the time elapsed until a specific point in the past.

had at that point been

Highlights a particular moment in the past when the action or state was true.

had previously been

Focuses on the state before the current situation, already completed.

had already been

Stresses that the action was completed before a specific time.

had until then been

Implies a change of state after a specified period.

had up to that time been

Similar to "had until then been", but more formal.

had formerly been

Indicates something was true in the past but is no longer the case.

had in the past been

General reference to a past state or action.

had sometime before been

Vague reference to a past action or state before the current moment.

had once been

Indicates that the state or action occurred at some undefined time in the past and is no longer the case.

FAQs

How to use "had now been" in a sentence?

The phrase "had now been" is used to indicate that an action or state was completed or ongoing before a specific point in the past. For example, "By the time the rescue team arrived, he "had now been" lost in the forest for three days."

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

You can use alternatives like "had already been", "had previously been", or "had by then been" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "had now been" or "has now been"?

"Had now been" is used for past perfect constructions, while "has now been" is used for present perfect constructions. The correct choice depends on the timeline you're establishing. "He "had now been" informed of the decision (before another event)" vs "He "has now been" informed of the decision (and the consequences are being seen now)."

What's the difference between "had now been" and "had then been"?

"Had now been" implies a more immediate past in relation to another past event, whereas "had then been" refers to a point further back in the past. "He "had now been" working for two hours when the storm started" shows the work was ongoing immediately prior to the storm. "He had then been working for two hours when he took a break" is more vague and can refer to any time before the break.