Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[leslie]

Hi,
I cannot use this pattern of English very well. I know both of them are correct, but is there a way to tell when to use which. Please show me the difference and guideline to use 2. Thanks very much.

1. He's smart. (indicates his characterisitic--smart. Am I right?)
2. He's being smart. (indicates that he's smart at the time you're talking. Am I right?)

Leslie

[Mister Micawber]

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I'm not sure, but I think it is more complex than that, Leslie. In your examples:

1. He's smart = he is intelligent
2. He's being smart = he is acting wisely or impertinently.

Let's try some others:

He is secretive = his nature is a secretive one.
He is being secretive = he is currently enigmatic. Yes, this pair seems to follow your rule.

He is gregarious = he has a social nature.
He is being gregarious = he is socially active at the moment, but it may only be a performance. This pair suggests that the -ing form may carry a further meaning beyond present activity; it may also suggest the impermanence or shallowness of the quality.

They are happy = They are in bliss.
They are being happy = they seem happy at the moment, but this quality sounds a little odd on such a temporary basis, as if, again, they were only pretending to be joyful.

If I were you, I would stick with the simple present form (he is smart, happy, etc) to describe one's character, either at the moment or in general. The use of the durative (he is being angry, they were being polite) can often either sound unnatural or carry further subtleties of meaning.
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[leslie]

Thank you so much for your detailed explanation, Mister Micawber. I guess I kind of catch the nuance. Can I generalize it this way: be+adj is used to show characters while be+being+ing is only a temporal phenomenon? Correct me if I am wrong.

He's negative.---His character is negative.
He's being negative.----He's now in the state of negation. He is usually not a negative person. He's usually positive. But currently he appears negative.

Thank you once again.

Leslie

[Mister Micawber]

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