[Grammar] Why is 'had been being' incorrect here?

[ChessEnthusiast]

In this sentence:
"The choice was simple: either to be operated on by a doctor who had been being on duty for over 20 hours or to wait for a fresh doctor to come"

the phrase "had been being" was corrected to "had been"
Why is the first version incorrect?

 

[Matthew Wai]

Re: Why is the progressive tense incorrect here?

I think 'being' is incorrect there as 'being' is incorrect in 'The dishes have been [STRIKE]being[/STRIKE] on the table for over 20 hours'.

 

[ChessEnthusiast]

Re: Why is the progressive tense incorrect here?

So - it is a matter of intuition?

 

[Matthew Wai]

Re: Why is the progressive tense incorrect here?

Someone is on duty. Something is on the table.
They both refer to the present moment.
What makes you think that 'being' is needed before 'on'?

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: Why is the progressive tense incorrect here?

We can use "had been being" to create the past perfect continuous.

He was blackmailing me.
I was being blackmailed by him.
He has been blackmailing me.
I have been being blackmailed by him.
He had been blackmailing me.
I had been being blackmailed by him.

He is being naughty.
He was being naughty.
He has been being naughty.
He had been being naughty.

Your context doesn't work like that. Your complete verb is "to be on duty". We don't convert that to the continuous in any tense.

The doctor is on duty.
The doctor was on duty for 20 hours.
The doctor has been on duty for 20 hours.
The doctor had been on duty for 20 hours.
I don't want to be seen by a doctor who has been on duty for 20 hours.
I didn't want to be seen by a doctor who had been on duty for 20 hours.

 

[GoesStation]

Re: Why is the progressive tense incorrect here?

BE is generally used in the progressive aspect only when it has a similar meaning to BEHAVE - My daughter is being rather naughty at the moment.

My son used to tell his mom and me "I'm being a have now!" He pronounced "have" to rhyme with "wave".