English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
BEEN or BEING?
He was ~been~ naughty (nonstandard).
He was *being* naughty (standard).
The progressive form, being, is used after “am, is, are, was, were”.
He has not ~being~ here in a while (nonstandard).
He has not *been* here in a while (standard).
The perfective form, been, is used after “has, have, had”.
We should be mindful of the appropriate auxiliary when “been” and “being” are used in contracted sentences:
He’s been my friend for many years= He has been my friends for many years.
He’s being childish= He is being childish.
When both forms, been and being, are used in a sentence, “been” precedes “being”:
The carpenter might have been doing the job (active sentence).
The job might have *been being* done by the carpenter (passive sentence).
GAB
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