Usage of being

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Hello Everybody!!!

I myself have always struggled to understand the usage of "Being" and how fair/correct is it to select an option with being construction on GMAT. So I thought of sharing these good examples that I found very useful.

How to use “Being” in English

Being is the continuous form of the verb ‘Be’. We use “Being” when action is temporary.

Here are some good examples:
Mary is a careful person. (Mary is always careful - it's her nature.)
John is being careful. (John is acting carefully now, but maybe he is not always careful - we don't know.)

Is he always so stupid? (Is that his personality?)
They were being really stupid. (They were behaving really stupidly at that moment.)

Andrew is not usually selfish. (It is not Andrew's character to be selfish.)
Why is he being so selfish? (Why is he acting so selfishly at the moment?)

Notice that we also make a difference between "to be sick" and "to be being sick":
She is sick (= she is not well)
She is being sick (= she is vomiting)



But the word “Being” forms the passive constructions also, which we need to avoid on GMAT.

Here are the examples of passive construction.
Your orders are being processed right now – Passive
Right now we are processing your orders – Active

I came by the bus because my car is being repaired. – Passive
As mechanic is repairing my car, I came by bus – Active

Lets add more whatever we know. This way we will help each other to crack GMAT!!!