Select the correct tense: Kiran had been working in a bank for some years.

(Had + been + root + ing) is used to make past perfect continuous tense and indicates that an activity was being carried on in the past, continued for some time and is no longer continued.

Formation: Had + been + verb + -ing (e.g., had been working).

• Meaning: Shows an action that began before a specific past time and continued for some duration up to that past point.

• Example and explanation: In the sentence "Kiran had been working in a bank for some years," the phrase "had been working" indicates Kiran worked there for several years up to a past reference; the focus is on the duration of that activity before that past time.

• Signal words: Phrases like "for some years," "for a long time," "before," or "by the time" often accompany this tense to show duration up to a past point.

• Contrast with past perfect: Past perfect (had + past participle) emphasizes completion before another past event; past perfect continuous emphasizes the ongoing nature or duration before that past event.

• Quick tip: If the sentence stresses how long something had been happening before a past moment, choose the past perfect continuous.