I am a bit confused about the using of "being".
I have seen in some sentences in which the use of "being" is correct, and on most cases the use of "being" is incorrect.
Experts, would you please explain when the use of "being" is correct?
Thanks.
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Experts, please explain! BEING
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gmat_perfect
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dj_vinayak
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I second this motiongmat_perfect wrote:Would any expert explain about the usage of being?
When the use of "being" is correct?
Thanks.
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lunarpower
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the short answer to this question: basically, "being" is ok when there are no acceptable alternative formulations that DON'T use it.
from what we've seen, "being" can be ok as long as at least one of the following 2 conditions obtains:
(1) it is part of a PASSIVE-VOICE construction (note that such constructions require a form of "to be", so, if the passive voice is in the -ing form, that form will manifest as "being");
or
(2) it is used as a ING noun (i.e., the action of "being something" is treated as a NOUN in the sentence).
most, but not all, of these nouns form of a construction in the passive voice, as discussed in #1 above.
in the next post i'll provide examples (i have to go get them).
from what we've seen, "being" can be ok as long as at least one of the following 2 conditions obtains:
(1) it is part of a PASSIVE-VOICE construction (note that such constructions require a form of "to be", so, if the passive voice is in the -ing form, that form will manifest as "being");
or
(2) it is used as a ING noun (i.e., the action of "being something" is treated as a NOUN in the sentence).
most, but not all, of these nouns form of a construction in the passive voice, as discussed in #1 above.
in the next post i'll provide examples (i have to go get them).
Last edited by lunarpower on Sun Jun 29, 2014 7:50 am, edited 2 times in total.
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lunarpower
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examples: (the first one i made up; the other three are correct answers to official problems)
Being followed by paparazzi 24 hours a day has caused many celebrities to become extremely hostile to strangers. (source: i made this up on the spot)
(note that this is both --> it's a passive-voice ING noun!)
During the 1950s, as part of their therapy, young polio victims learning to live with their disabilities were helped to practice falling, so that they could learn to fall without being hurt. (source: gmat prep)
(again, passive voice ING noun)
According to one expert, the cause of genetic irregularities in many breeds of dog is not so much that dogs are being bred for looks or to meet other narrow criteria as that the breeds have relatively few founding members. (source: gmat prep)
(passive; not ING noun)
Being heavily committed to a course of action, especially one that has worked well in the past, is likely to make an executive miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear. (source: gmat prep; also in the OG verbal supplement)
(ING noun; not passive)
Being followed by paparazzi 24 hours a day has caused many celebrities to become extremely hostile to strangers. (source: i made this up on the spot)
(note that this is both --> it's a passive-voice ING noun!)
During the 1950s, as part of their therapy, young polio victims learning to live with their disabilities were helped to practice falling, so that they could learn to fall without being hurt. (source: gmat prep)
(again, passive voice ING noun)
According to one expert, the cause of genetic irregularities in many breeds of dog is not so much that dogs are being bred for looks or to meet other narrow criteria as that the breeds have relatively few founding members. (source: gmat prep)
(passive; not ING noun)
Being heavily committed to a course of action, especially one that has worked well in the past, is likely to make an executive miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear. (source: gmat prep; also in the OG verbal supplement)
(ING noun; not passive)
Last edited by lunarpower on Sun Jun 29, 2014 7:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.
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Quand on se sent bien dans un vêtement, tout peut arriver. Un bon vêtement, c'est un passeport pour le bonheur.
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Pueden hacerle preguntas a Ron en castellano
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gmat_perfect
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Tons of thanks RON.
You rock the SC concepts. I bow my head to you. I am your blind fan.
I will apply your concepts.
Thanks.
You rock the SC concepts. I bow my head to you. I am your blind fan.
I will apply your concepts.
Thanks.
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imskpwr
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lunarpower wrote: According to one expert, {the cause of genetic irregularities in many breeds of dog is not so much that dogs} {are} {being bred (for looks) or (to meet other narrow criteria} as that the breeds have relatively few founding members).
This use of "being" is not clear to me. Can you shed some light.
1. "Dogs are bred for looks" vs "Dogs are being bred for looks". I don't understand the difference here. I believe that
"Dogs are bred for looks" ...Always
"Dogs are being bred for looks"...Sometimes
2. even though both "for looks"(a "prepositional phrase" acting here as an "adverb of reason" for verb "bred") and "to meet.."(an "infinitive" acting here as an "adverb of purpose" for verb "bred") are adverbs only, the structure is different in both i.e., one is a "Prepositional phrase" and other is an "Infinitive".
Is such parallelism(in which it is only the "function" of a phrase(as Adjective/Adverb/Noun)that is made parallel instead of its "structure") very often in GMAT?
Please help me to correct my understanding.
Thanks in advance!
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confuse mind
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Thanks a lot for the concepts on the usage of 'Being'
One question:
86. Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War. Horace Pippin,
a Black American painter, worked by holding the brush in his right hand and guiding its movements with his
left
(A) Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War
(B) In spite of his right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War
(C) Because there had been a sniper's bullet during the First World War that crippled his right hand and
arm
(D) The His right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War
(E) His right hand and arm crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War
I have slightly modified the original option - D.
As per the above concepts, the usage of Being in this sentence looks correct. can you please confirm?
Thanks!
One question:
86. Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War. Horace Pippin,
a Black American painter, worked by holding the brush in his right hand and guiding its movements with his
left
(A) Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War
(B) In spite of his right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War
(C) Because there had been a sniper's bullet during the First World War that crippled his right hand and
arm
(D) The His right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War
(E) His right hand and arm crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War
I have slightly modified the original option - D.
As per the above concepts, the usage of Being in this sentence looks correct. can you please confirm?
Thanks!
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lunarpower
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yeah. or at least that's the way things are in this day and age (with no obvious potential for change)."Dogs are bred for looks" ...Always
not "sometimes". this construction means that the action is actually happening in the timeframe of the sentence."Dogs are being bred for looks"...Sometimes
e.g.
the sun comes up in the east. --> this happens every single day, and isn't going to step happening anytime soon.
if you wanted to tell someone how to tell which direction is east, you'd use this sentence.
vs.
the sun is coming up in the east. --> this means that the sun is coming up RIGHT NOW as you are narrating the sentence.
i can't read that sentence. too many parentheses.2. even though both "for looks"(a "prepositional phrase" acting here as an "adverb of reason" for verb "bred") and "to meet.."(an "infinitive" acting here as an "adverb of purpose" for verb "bred") are adverbs only, the structure is different in both i.e., one is a "Prepositional phrase" and other is an "Infinitive".
Is such parallelism(in which it is only the "function" of a phrase(as Adjective/Adverb/Noun)that is made parallel instead of its "structure") very often in GMAT?
but, what i think you're asking is, "are we going to see parallel structures in which the things don't look exactly like each other?"
the answer is yes.
remember, though, that you won't ever have to judge parallelism on an absolute basis. i.e., you won't have to come up with an "ideal" sentence.
instead, you'll only have to judge parallelism RELATIVE TO OTHER CHOICES.
this should be good news, since it's much easier to judge 2 things relative to each other than to come up with some abstract ideal.
e.g.
check out #50 in the DIAGNOSTIC section of og11, og12, or og13 (the diagnostic section is the same in all three books).
in that example, you have "just as frequently AND in the same way..."
those don't look ilke each other, but, as you said here, they both describe the same action -- that is, both of them function as adverbs. therefore, they're parallel.
more to the point -- if you look at the other choices, you won't find anything better. that's all you really need here.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.
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imskpwr
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If I am getting it correctly, you mean in such construction "being", even though a "gerund", has some progressive aspect.lunarpower wrote:[not "sometimes". this construction means that the action is actually happening in the timeframe of the sentence."Dogs are being bred for looks"...Sometimes
e.g.
the sun comes up in the east. --> this happens every single day, and isn't going to step happening anytime soon.
if you wanted to tell someone how to tell which direction is east, you'd use this sentence.
vs.
the sun is coming up in the east. --> this means that the sun is coming up RIGHT NOW as you are narrating the sentence.
it's more like:
Nowadays, Dogs are being bred for looks.
Thanks!
gerund doesn't have a progressing aspect. it always serves as a noun.imskpwr wrote:If I am getting it correctly, you mean in such construction "being", even though a "gerund", has some progressive aspect.lunarpower wrote:[not "sometimes". this construction means that the action is actually happening in the timeframe of the sentence."Dogs are being bred for looks"...Sometimes
e.g.
the sun comes up in the east. --> this happens every single day, and isn't going to step happening anytime soon.
if you wanted to tell someone how to tell which direction is east, you'd use this sentence.
vs.
the sun is coming up in the east. --> this means that the sun is coming up RIGHT NOW as you are narrating the sentence.
it's more like:
Nowadays, Dogs are being bred for looks.
Thanks!
dogs are being bred for looks.
being bred is not a gerund here.
X is eating Y.
y is being eaten by x. (it is a passive verb)
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imskpwr
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Dogs(subject) are(linking verb) being bred for looks(gerund).7777 wrote: gerund doesn't have a progressing aspect. it always serves as a noun.
dogs are being bred for looks.
being bred is not a gerund here.
X is eating Y.
y is being eaten by x. (it is a passive verb)
"being bred for looks" is a Subject Complement: Could be an "adjective"/"Noun"/"Adverb".
The structure clearly indicates that it has to be a Gerund only to fit this slot.
The internals of this gerund is "passive" in itself i.e., "DOGS are Bred for looks by..."
So it is a PASSIVE-GERUND.
BUT it is NOT A GERUND at all(as already written by RON and can be easily verified by a simple test of "the act of"), then the structure of (2) must be similar to (1)&(3), in which "getting" & "running" are PROGRESSIVE VERBs.
"A Man is getting naked in front of the camera"...........(1)
"A Man is being naked in front of the camera".............(2)
" I am Running"...........................................(3)
So it is a "progressive" verb.
CAN SOMEONE PIN POINT A FLAW HERE?
i am not very sure here but i think thatimskpwr wrote:Dogs(subject) are(linking verb) being bred for looks(gerund).7777 wrote: gerund doesn't have a progressing aspect. it always serves as a noun.
dogs are being bred for looks.
being bred is not a gerund here.
X is eating Y.
y is being eaten by x. (it is a passive verb)
"being bred for looks" is a Subject Complement: Could be an "adjective"/"Noun"/"Adverb".
The structure clearly indicates that it has to be a Gerund only to fit this slot.
The internals of this gerund is "passive" in itself i.e., "DOGS are Bred for looks by..."
So it is a PASSIVE-GERUND.
BUT it is NOT A GERUND at all(as already written by RON and can be easily verified by a simple test of "the act of"), then the structure of (2) must be similar to (1)&(3), in which "getting" & "running" are PROGRESSIVE VERBs.
"A Man is getting naked in front of the camera"...........(1)
"A Man is being naked in front of the camera".............(2)
" I am Running"...........................................(3)
So it is a "progressive" verb.
CAN SOMEONE PIN POINT A FLAW HERE?
dogs are being bred for looks.
in the above sentence,being bred is not a passive gerund but is a verb.)
i think that all your three sentences are using progressive tense.
he is being stupid. (in this sentence being stupid is not a gerund,but is used as a progressive tense as the present participle of the verb "be")
passive gerunds are made from a "being" or "getting" + past participle
i don't like being hurt.(being hurt is a passive gerund)
i don't like getting hurt.(getting hurt is a passive gerund)
he is being naked.(i think being naked is not a gerund here.it's a progressive tense)= he is getting naked at the moment.
being naked makes me feel good.(here being naked is a gerund)
my hobby is reading(reading is a gerund)
my friend is reading.(reading not a gerund)
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imskpwr
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Yup!7777 wrote:i am not very sure here but i think thatimskpwr wrote:Dogs(subject) are(linking verb) being bred for looks(gerund).7777 wrote: gerund doesn't have a progressing aspect. it always serves as a noun.
dogs are being bred for looks.
being bred is not a gerund here.
X is eating Y.
y is being eaten by x. (it is a passive verb)
"being bred for looks" is a Subject Complement: Could be an "adjective"/"Noun"/"Adverb".
The structure clearly indicates that it has to be a Gerund only to fit this slot.
The internals of this gerund is "passive" in itself i.e., "DOGS are Bred for looks by..."
So it is a PASSIVE-GERUND.
BUT it is NOT A GERUND at all(as already written by RON and can be easily verified by a simple test of "the act of"), then the structure of (2) must be similar to (1)&(3), in which "getting" & "running" are PROGRESSIVE VERBs.
"A Man is getting naked in front of the camera"...........(1)
"A Man is being naked in front of the camera".............(2)
" I am Running"...........................................(3)
So it is a "progressive" verb.
CAN SOMEONE PIN POINT A FLAW HERE?
dogs are being bred for looks.
in the above sentence,being bred is not a passive gerund but is a verb.)
i think that all your three sentences are using progressive tense.
he is being stupid. (in this sentence being stupid is not a gerund,but is used as a progressive tense as the present participle of the verb "be")
passive gerunds are made from a "being" or "getting" + past participle
i don't like being hurt.(being hurt is a passive gerund)
i don't like getting hurt.(getting hurt is a passive gerund)
he is being naked.(i think being naked is not a gerund here.it's a progressive tense)= he is getting naked at the moment.
being naked makes me feel good.(here being naked is a gerund)
my hobby is reading(reading is a gerund)
my friend is reading.(reading not a gerund)
The sentence "dogs are being bred for looks" is in "progressive tense".
My hobby is "the act of" reading...........logical(it's a gerund)
My friend is "the act of" reading..........illogical("it's not a gerund)
Dogs are "the act of" being bred for looks.........illogical.(so by the same logic, it's not a gerund here)
If not a Gerund, then only feasible option left is "Progressive Tense".
"Gerunds" are Static, but "progressive tenses" are Dynamic
Only issue with this reasoning is:
"Be" is a "State Verb", but it is used in "Dynamic" sense here.....How?
Any comments?
