EXERCISE 27–12Verb tense and mood
Example:

By the time the government created a financial stimulus package, we had been in a recession for more than a year.

By the time the government created a financial stimulus package, we were in a recession for more than a year.

The past perfect tense (had been) is required to describe a past action completed by the time of another past action (created).

For more help, see section 27f.