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Using the verbs "been" and "being" with auxiliary verbs

A lot of people, especially social media users, don't know the difference between these two verbs and the appropriate situations to use each.

Note that both words are formed from the verb 'be'. 

'Been' is used with the auxiliary 'has', 'have' or 'had' to form a perfect tense either in the present or past. 

For example;

●The thief has been arrested.

●The thieves have been arrested.

●The thief/thieves had been arrested.

On the other hand, 'Being' is used with the auxiliary 'is', 'was', 'are' or 'were' to form a continuous tense in the present or past. For example;

●The suspect is/was being interrogated at the police station.

●The suspects are/were being interrogated at the police station.

Consider the following:

●It's been raining all day.

●It's being done that way in that village.

The two examples above can be written the following ways:

●It has been raining all day.

●It is being done that way in that village.

Avoid using:

● 'has', 'have' or 'had' with 'being'.

●'is' ,'was', 'are' or 'were' with 'been'.

Also consider the following:

He/she/it has been...

We/they have been...

He/she/it had been...

We/they had been...


He/she/it is being...

He/she/it was being...

We/they are being...

We/they were being...

Note that: 'has', 'have' and 'had' accompany 'been', while 'is', 'are', 'was', 'were' go with 'being'.

That's how the auxiliary 'be' behaves anywhere it occurs.

If you are using 'has', 'have' or 'had' with 'being' while using 'is', 'are' or 'were' with 'been', stop that today; it is wrong.

We hope you will find this post useful.

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.

Best regards.

From the Grammarstar team

Comments

Julius said…
This is very educative and precise. The two words has always been confusing if not properly used.
March 8, 2022 at 4:53 AM
Unknown said…
Highly educative!
I often misuse the two, thank you.
March 8, 2022 at 2:45 PM
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