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Being and Been: Select The Correct Version

The document provides guidance on the proper uses of the words "being" and "been". It states that "been" should always be used after forms of the verb "to have", while "being" should be used after forms of the verb "to be". Some examples are provided to illustrate the correct usage. The document also notes that while "being" can be used as a noun or gerund, "been" and "being" are not generally used as adjectives before nouns on their own.

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1K views3 pages

Being and Been: Select The Correct Version

The document provides guidance on the proper uses of the words "being" and "been". It states that "been" should always be used after forms of the verb "to have", while "being" should be used after forms of the verb "to be". Some examples are provided to illustrate the correct usage. The document also notes that while "being" can be used as a noun or gerund, "been" and "being" are not generally used as adjectives before nouns on their own.

Uploaded by

butbut
Copyright
© Public Domain
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Use been after the verb to have.

Use being after the verb to be.

Being and Been


Some writers occasionally confuse the words being and been. As a rule, the word been is
always used after have (in any form, e.g., has, had, will have). The word being is never used
after have. Being is used after to be (in any form, e.g., is, was, were).

Examples:

 I have been busy.


 Terry has being taking the stores to the shelter.

(being cannot follow has or have)

Being as a Noun
The word being can also be a noun.

Examples:

 A human being
 A strange being stepped out of the space ship.

Being as a Gerund
The word being can also be a gerund (which is a type of noun).

Examples:

 Do you like being so ignorant?


 The accident was caused by his being so clumsy.
 I live in terror of not being misunderstood. (Oscar Wilde)

 
Select the correct version:

1
  You have been / being a very naughty boy.

2
  The giant panda has been / being making headlines since he was born.

3
  Has this pasta been / being re-heated?

4
  The court ruled that the teacher was been / being vindictive.

5
  Your mum's paintings are been / being sold next week.

THEY'RE PARTICIPLES

Being is the present participle of the verb to be. (For comparison, cooking is the present
participle of the verb to cook.)

Been is the past participle of the verb to be. (For comparison, cooked is the past participle of
the verb to cook.)

Usually participles can be used as adjectives before nouns, but being and been can't.

Past participles (e.g., deleted, broken) and present participle (e.g., cooking, running) can be
used like adjectives.

 Broken link.
 Deleted file.
 Cooking sauce.
 Running shoes.

However, even although been and being are participles, they are not used as adjectives before
nouns.

 The been car. (What does this mean? The car that used to be a car? This is nonsense.)
 The being tree. (The tree that is a tree? This is nonsense.)

Been is always used in conjunction with the verb to have, which is its auxiliary verb. The
auxiliary verb for being, on the other hand, is the verb to be(e.g., is, are, was).

 He is being stupid.
 He is been stupid.

(Remember, been goes with has.)

 He has been stupid.


However, being can act as an adjective before a noun (or a pronoun) when it is joined by
other words to form a participle phrase.

 Being such a lazy oaf, Tony often drives to the nearby shops.

(Being such a lazy oaf is a participle phrase that describes Tony.)

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