Difference between being and been

These words are often confused by ESL students.  Although they are both forms of the primary auxiliary verb be, they are used in different grammatical structures. The word been is the past participle form of be. It is used after have.

• I have been to Australia.
• The postman has already been.

The word being is the present participle form of the verb be. It is not used after have. As a rule, being is used after a form of be (is, am, are, was, were).

• He is being sick. (= He is vomiting.) (NOT He has being sick.)
• Who is being a silly baby, then?
• I was being careful.

Being as a Noun

The word ‘being’ can also be a noun.

The word being can be used as a noun. As a noun being means a person or a living creature. Supernatural beings refer to spirits or gods.

Examples are: human beings, social beings, supernatural beings, living beings etc.

The structure be + being can be followed by an adjective or noun.

• He was being careful.
• She was being silly.

This structure is used to talk about actions and behaviors. It is not normally used to talk about feelings.

Complete the following sentences using being or been.

1. She has always ………………….. a very naughty girl. (being / been)

2. You are …………………… stupid. (being / been)

3. His latest album has …………………. grabbing a lot of headlines since its launch. (being / been)

4. Have they ………………….. informed? (being / been)

5. An exhibition of her paintings is ………………….. held next week. (being / been)