[00:00.00]Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Tayyab in Pakistan about a form of the verb "be" in English.
[00:14.70]Dear Teacher,
[00:15.66]I am always confused when it comes to the usage of "being."
[00:21.90]Thank you,
[00:23.36]Tayyab
[00:24.46]I'm happy to answer this question, Tayyab.
[00:28.15]Let's start by considering a basic way we use the verb "be" in English.
[00:35.60]We commonly use this verb to link, or join, a subject with its description.
[00:43.75]The description will often be a noun or an adjective.
[00:49.31]The following two examples show this:
[00:53.02]That man is a farmer.
[00:55.01]That man is rich.
[00:57.41]Expanding on this use of the verb "be," we can call a description of how a person feels and experiences his or her life as a "state of being."
[01:12.12]A state of being can last for a short or a long time.
[01:18.42]However, a state of being is longer than a momentary feeling.
[01:25.02]The following examples show this usage:
[01:29.47]In retirement, her state of being became more relaxed.
[01:36.09]His state of being has not been good in recent months.
[01:40.25]We can also use the word "being" to begin a description.
[01:46.23]This can help us describe something or someone in one sentence instead of two.
[01:53.22]For example, we could use two sentences to describe a man who does not speak very much with other people:
[02:03.30]Mr. Jones was someone who spoke very little.
[02:06.82]He sat quietly while others did the talking.
[02:10.31]But if we use the word "being," we can express this idea in one sentence, as in the following example:
[02:21.16]Being a man of few words, Mr. Jones sat quietly while others did the talking.
[02:28.48]Here is another example of changing a description from two sentences to one sentence:
[02:37.78]Manut was very tall. That is why he decided to play basketball instead of football.
[02:44.69]Being very tall, Manut decided to play basketball instead of football.
[02:50.64]We can also use the word "being," combined with the noun or adjective that follows it, as the subject of a sentence. Consider the following examples:
[03:05.91]Being a parent has helped me better understand my own parents.
[03:11.07]Being open to criticism will help you improve your work.
[03:16.54]In these examples, the phrases "being a parent" and "being open to criticism" are the subjects of the sentences.
[03:28.65]Lastly, we can use the word "being" as a noun to describe a highly intelligent form of life.
[03:39.27]Humans are beings, and somewhere in the universe, other intelligent beings might exist.
[03:48.13]For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English?
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