Some help with been/being

Question

Hi,This situation always makes me confused of what to use. Could you please guide me in the right path?1. Attached is the updated report with blank cells been removed.2. Attached is the updated report with blank cells being removed. 3. Attached is the updated report with blank cells removed. Which of the above is grammatically correct? Thanks for all your help :-)

KrisBlueNZ · Accepted Answer

Thank you for explaining your question clearly.

1. "Attached is the updated report with blank cells been removed."
2. "Attached is the updated report with blank cells being removed."
3. "Attached is the updated report with blank cells removed." Correct.

Sentence 3 is correct because "with blank cells removed" describes the state of the updated report.

Re sentence 1. It is true that the blank cells have been removed. You removed the blank cells, then you re-published the report. The removal of the blank cells happened in the past, so you could say "Attached is the updated report. The blank cells have been removed" because been is past tense. This explicitly states that at some time in the past, the blank cells were removed, so you can now say that they have been removed.

Re sentence 2. You can't say that the cells are being removed, because that is present tense - it describes something that is happening now. In the past, you could have said "I am removing the blank cells now" or "The blank cells are being removed [by me]", but now, when you are describing the updated report, you cannot use being because being removed described what was happening to the cells in the past, when you were updating the report, before you re-published it and sent the message announcing the updated report.

Sentence 3 is the best because it describes the state, or condition, of the updated report. It is the most direct, as well as the shortest. It implies that you have removed the blank cells, without needing to state this explicitly as in sentence 1 ("The blank cells have been removed" or "I have removed the blank cells"). It simply states that the updated report has the blank cells (that were presumably present in the previous version of the report) removed. That is the most succinct and accurate way to describe the report, and the difference between the updated report and the previous version of the report.

Mister Micawber · Answer

shaunm1. Attached is the updated report with blank cells been removed.2. Attached is the updated report with blank cells being removed.

I have read through Kris's careful response, shaun, and let me just reinforce for clarity that your #1 and #2 are wrong as they stand: they are not structured correctly.

Shaunm · Answer

WoW. Thank you so much for your detailed answer KrisBlueNZ :-)

I appreciate your help in this regard a lot.

Some help with been/being

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions