Had been vs Has been vs Have been: Use in Sentences

Today we’ll discuss three commonly confused English phrases ‘had been’, ‘have been’ and ‘has been’ and try to learn their correct usage in sentences.

Most of the times we get confused as to what they actually mean, therefore we have got this article for you to build a clear understanding.

Let’s see one example before starting.

Correct : He has been doing it.

Wrong : He have been doing it.

Both the phrases ‘has been’ and ‘have been’ are used in the present perfect continuous form of sentences which specify an action that started happening in the past and is still continuing, but are used differently which is what we have to see.

When to Use Had been in Sentences

The English phrase had been is used to specify something that was happening in the past but does not happen now. Let’s have a look at some examples:

1. He had been waiting for you.
2. The tap had been producing dirty water.
3. I had been walking.
4. She had been running.
5. I had been really busy these days.
6. The cat had been busy hunting
7. My teacher had been busy checking the reports
8. I had been visiting my parents quite regularly
9. She had been visiting the doctor quite frequently
10. The teacher had been observing us for a long time

Use of ‘had been’ in asking questions :

1. Why he had been here ?
2. Why she had been exercising ?

By the above examples you can infer the both the phrases ‘had been’ is mostly used with subjects like He, She, I, It etc.

When to Use Has Been in Sentences

The English phrase ‘Has been’ is used with the subjects of third person pronouns like He, She, It or with a noun (like building, minister, road etc.).

Following are examples of sentences using has been:

1. He has been working really hard.
2. Tuesday has been really tiring for me.
3. There has been a lot of confusion regarding wedding.
4. She has been reading a lot.
5. He has been on a serious practice.
6. The class has been adjourned
7. My principle has been asked to retire
8. My teacher has been informed about my work
9. My father has been asked to visit the doctor
10. She has been having late back attitude

When to use Have been in Sentences

The English phrase ‘have been’ is used with the three types of subjects namely first person pronouns like I, we. ; second person pronouns like You and third person pronouns like They and with plurals of noun like ( fruits, roads, bags etc. ).

Following are examples of sentences using have been:

1. I have been waiting for you.
2. They have been working on a project for 4 years.
3. I have been reading this book, it’s amazing.
4. We have been doing this since 2003.
5. I have been going to gym everyday.
6. We have been waiting since long
7. We all have been enjoying over week end
8. They have been informed taking precautions
9. My parents have been visiting the shop quite often
10. My pets have been vaccinated

Try replacing these phrases with one another and you’ll see that sentences will sound untidy.

For example :

Correct : It has been really bad.

Wrong : It have been really bad.

Let us see a sentence using ‘has been’ and ‘have been’ together.

Example : I have been following a person who has been working really hard for his goal.

After understanding the usages of present perfect continuous and the three forms of pronoun, we can understand the difference between “has been” and “have been.”

Summary:

“Have been” is used in the present continuous perfect tense in the first, second, and third person plural form whereas “has been” is used in the singular form only for the third person.

So Next time when you are hung up on whether to use ‘have been’ or ‘has been’, you know how to decide and where to look for it.

Quick Links

1. Examples of Reflexive and Emphatic Pronouns 
2. She, Her and Herself with Sentence Examples