BE, BEEN, AND BEING

“BEEN VS BEING”
In this article, we will explain the difference between ‘be’, ‘been’ and ‘being’ in the English language, as well as give the examples of proper use for both words.

When speaking, it is usually difficult to understand if the person is using ‘be’ ‘been’ or ‘being’, depending on the accent. Whereas in writing, these words are used in different situations. Both ‘been’ and ‘being’ are forms of the verb ‘be’; however, there are certain rules in English grammar that tell you whether to use ‘been’ or ‘being’.

Use of “Be”

Will (or its contracted form ’ll) is an auxiliary verb, In past, it is used as WAS and WERE; in present, it is used as IS, AM and ARE; and in future, it can be used with will.

For examples:-

We’re late (present) … We’ll be late (future)
You’re so happy (present) … You’ll be so happy (future)
It is very pleasant (present) … It will be very pleasant (future)
I’m all right (present) … I’ll be all right (future)

When to use ‘been’

‘Been’ is the third form or a past participle of the verb ‘be’ and it is used after the word ‘have’ (including its other forms, such as ‘had’ and ‘has’. This happens mostly with perfect tenses, in cases of future-in-the-past events and with past conditionals.

For example:

1. I have been cooking for him for the last 2 hours.
2. How have you been running your school?
3. He has been watching it carefully.
4. Who has been there in the class?

When to use ‘being’

‘Being’, on the other hand, is never used after ‘have’. It is a continuous form or a present participle of ‘be’, which means that it needs to be used to show the action that is (or has been) happening for some time. It is also used with a gerund (a form of a verb that acts as a noun) and continuous passive voice. See examples below:

She is being Polite.
Do you enjoy being Single?

Let’s learn directly by some examples

1. ‘The girl is Rude.  – Personality type
2. The girl is being Rude. – temporary behavior

What is something that you notice in both sentences?

You probably notice “being” in the second sentence

The first sentence is about the personality or the nature of the girl. It is her or others feel. She is a rude girl.

That the little bit different than the second sentence which is The girl is being Rude.

In this case, we are just looking at the behavior or action. The girl is usually a good girl maybe.

Maybe she is very kind or polite but that one day she is acting a certain way. Her actions and behavior is rude

So here we can say the girl is very kind and intelligent but today in a specific situation her behavior is rude or she is being Rude.

See another example-

1. Roy is lazy
2. Roy is being lazy

This means Roy is not a lazy person. It’s not a personality characteristic of Roy.

 In the first sentence, it means that Roy is usually Hardworking, but he is being lazy right now because he is not feeling well.

You might have noticed that ‘being’ is also a noun. It means ‘creature’, ‘entity’, or ‘existence’. If used in the context of ‘creature’, it can be a human being

Look at the questions below for the practice.

1.You are being Angry means:

1. You are always Angry.

2. You are angry right now, but usually, you are a very polite person.

Is the following sentence correct?

2. He is be naughty.

1. Yes, it's correct.

2. No, it should be “he is been naughty".

3. No, it should be "he is being naughty".

3.John is not nice.

1. This means that John is usually nice, but he is not being nice right now.

2. This means John is not a nice person. It's a personality characteristic of John.

4.Turn the following sentence into a negative sentence:

Hedy is being rude.

1. Hedy is being not rude.

2. Hedy is not being rude.

3. Hedy isn't be rude.

4. Hedy isn't rude.

5. Hedy no rude

5.Jane is usually a very honest boy, but yesterday he lied to his mother. What can we say about Jane?

1. Janel is being dishonest.

2. Janel was being dishonest.

3. Jane was been dishonest.

4. Jane was be dishonest.