copy
noun
an imitation, reproduction, or transcript of an original.
had been copying
-
past perfect progressiveof copy.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He had been copying Elliott Smith and Nick Drake songs, though he found it unsatisfying to play music that was written to be heard as part of a group.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 27, 2019
He explained that Sherman and his colleague Marin Cogan had heard Bardella had been copying me on e-mails.
From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 2013
They seemed, at times, to come and go almost daily, with the exception of Miss Trixie, the octogenarian assistant accountant, who had been copying figures inaccurately into the Levy' ledgers for almost half a century.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
All day long Father had been copying the menu upon the florid cards which he had bought from a bankrupt Jersey City printer—thick gilt-edged cards embossed with forget-me-nots in colors which hadn’t quite registered.
From The Innocents A Story for Lovers by Sinclair Lewis
Elizabeth Wright closed her typewriter on which she had been copying some manuscript for a budding author; Irene Macfarlane stuck her needle in the pin-cushion hanging from her tidy work-basket and folded the lace collar.
From Mary Louise and Josie O'Gorman by Emma Speed Sampson
