Being

Question

[1] I can't stand you being here.
[2] I can't stand your being here.

The second sentence is more formal than the first.

Traditionally, "being" would be analyzed as a verb in [1] and a gerund in [2]. But there are strong grounds for analyzing it as a verb in [2] as well, and for making a distinction between such words and those words ending in -ing that genuinely are nouns.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above is from a reply given by Dave to a question.

How about I can't stand you are being here?

2.You are being a English teacher, we appreciate your presence here.

3.Everybody appreciates that you are being here.

4.Everybody appreciates your presence here.

For me, the third sentence is synamous with the fourth sentence.

However, the core of my question is whether it is correct to say 'I can't stand you are being here.'

Miriam · Accepted Answer

Andrei,
Nice theory, but I'm afraid it won't work!

Let me explain.

First of all, "I can't stand your being here." (or even "you are being here", if it were correct), is different from "you are a being a teacher" (which isn't 100% correct either).

In English, the use of the verb "to be" in progressive tenses is not common because "to be" is a "stative" verb. It does not denote action, but state or existence. There are other verbs like "to be" which are generally not used in progressive tenses (seem, appear, etc.).

"You are a teacher" is correct. With the professions, you don't use progressive forms. You are a teacher today, and you won't lose your degree toorrow. You can say "you are teaching", and that's different. You are teaching now, but you won't be teaching this evening. Still, you are a teacher now and also in the evening.
Does it make sense so far?

I can think of a couple of contexts in which "you are being a teacher" would be correct, but if I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

The same happens with "you are here". It is not correct to say "you are being here" because it is, simply, not necessary. You are here, upstairs, in the bedroom, on the roof. The verb "to be" in this case denotes state.

When you introduce yourself to someone, you say "I'm Andrei", not "I'm being Andrei". Why? Because that will not change. You will surely still be Andrei tomorrow.

So, the following are correct:

2. "You are a teacher; we appreciate your presence here."
If you want to use a progressive tense, you could say, for example:
"You are teaching here and we appreciate it."
Can you see the difference?

4. "Everybody appreciates your presence here."
Compare this sentence to: "Everybody appreciates your being here." They are similar; the difference is that in the first you have a noun (presence) and in the second you have a gerund (it is not a noun but functions as one).
Both sentences are correct.
Also, compare the second to "I can't stand your being here", which is also correct.

Let's see now the difference between:
a. "I can't stand your being here." (correct)
and
b. "I can't stand that you are being here." (incorrect)
The expression "can't stand" (meaning "can't bear) is followed either by a noun (or a nominal construction) or by a gerund. So, here is the problem: "being" is a gerund in sentence "a", but it is a present participle in sentence "b". Both words have the same spelling but they are different and have different functions. "Being", in sentence "b" is used to form a verb tense, and that is something a gerund cannot do.

Does this help?

Andrei · Answer

Thanks Miriam

I have to read again and again to grasp certain things you have explained here.

Miriam · Answer

Don't hesitate to ask for clarification if you find anything "obscure".  <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Steave · Answer

Hi .. could you please provide more examples of gerund and explain why it is different from participle?

Being

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions