passive

No, it doesn't seem to be used.

PieanneNo, it doesn't seem to be used.

Agree

Many people have been being assaulted in the streets of French cities lately.
And many cars have been being burned by angry young men.

Questions about unusual tenses have been being asked on this forum for as long as I can remember.

CJ

Never seen it used. Many grammar books say that it is not possible.

Sounds strange tough...

(nothing bad has been being reported in my tiny village so far)

Hello guys

Professor Delmot McElholm says in his lecture note [url=http://www.fsz.uni-hannover.de/Sprachbereiche/ Englisch/dozenten/mcelholm/download/Passive.pdf]"The passive in English"[/url] for University Hannover as follows.

The progressiv

Paco,
I think it seems awkward just because there are so many words to say.
I don't think it sounds so awful, but it's true that these constructions just aren't used much.
CJ

CalifJimI think it seems awkward just because there are so many words to say.

Thanks CJ. Do you mean that the sound of "been being" (in "has/have been being done") or "be being" (in "will be being done) is unpleasant to ears?

paco

I don't think I meant unpleasant to our ears. I think I meant unpleasant to the muscles in our mouths - too much effort to say all those words! But thinking about it more seriously, I now think that it is the brain that is the problem. It is unpleasant to our brains -- too many grammatical functions and parameters to juggle all at once.

So do you mean that you don't nest more than three verbs to say and understand a verbal phrase smoothly?

How about "I'm gonna go see my grandma tomorrow"?

paco