had been plucking
- past perfect progressive of pluck.
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.
She was plucking a geranium—the flower she had been plucking some years before, when Edward said he loved her.
From Handy Andy, Volume 2 — a Tale of Irish Life by Lover, Samuel
Molly, who had been plucking and twisting all this while the twig between her fingers, suddenly cast it on the ground and hobbled away.
From Hetty Wesley by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir
He had been plucking fiercely at his black beard and hair all the time; now he suddenly plucked them off and flung them like moulted feathers in the mire.
From The Ball and the Cross by Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
Somewhere in the outer kitchen the hired boy had been plucking a goose, and some tiny fragments of the down were floating in the air.
From The Mormon Prophet by Dougall, Lily
Throughout, Douglas, with a strained face, had been plucking at his principal's arm.
From The Clarion by Stevens, William Dodge
