Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Up until starting his farm, he had been painting every day, but never pictures of the real world.
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2021
For a decade the artist had been painting fruit and landscapes of similar heft.
From Economist ● Nov. 9, 2017
In April, Crawford confronted the owner of the shop which had been painting his 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2016
If I had been painting this, I wouldn’t have made those black-and-blue eyes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2015
I had been painting, I said, since early childhood, but that, following the advice of Pablo Picasso, who was one of the oldest and dearest friends of my parents, I had never exhibited.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
