are being prolonged

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "are being prolonged" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where something is being extended or lengthened over time, often in a passive context. Example: "The negotiations are being prolonged due to disagreements between the parties involved."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Thanks to this immigrant's development of the drug Abraxane, the first FDA-approved chemotherapy agent based on nanotechnology, the lives of thousands of patients with breast, pancreatic, and lung cancers are being prolonged.

The Guardian - Opinion

'Never events', such as catheter-related sepsis and pressure sores, can readily occur in patients with serious underlying illnesses whose lives are being prolonged by futile care.

Critical Care

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

It is being prolonged by politicians seeking to devise an end that will favour their reputations.

The Guardian - Opinion

As in Sierra Leone, the war in Angola is being prolonged by business interests.

The Economist

Objective: Renal transplantation is being improved, and life expectancy for patients with transplanted kidneys is being prolonged, but the incidence of malignant tumors in other body organs or tissues is increasing progressively.

Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology

Nigel Farage's decision to use the TV debate to attack the number of foreign nationals receiving treatment for HIV has been attacked as "deeply offensive" by campaigners – including a Nigerian man whose life is being prolonged by the NHS.

Independent

We Baby Boomers did fail when planning for our financial future, but part of the problem is that our future is being prolonged.

Forbes

This fed into debates about whether patient's lives were being prolonged unnecessarily as a result of anticoagulation.

BMC Medical Ethics

When ER stress is being prolonged and misfolded/unfolded proteins exceed the capacity of the proteasome degradation system, it might trigger autophagy [ 25].

BioMed Research International

It's too much to say that Charles Taylor, Liberia's recently exiled President, was behind all this conflict, because the causes are deeper — corruption, economic decline, terrible education, resource exploitation — and it's been prolonged by international indifference.

The New Yorker

We can go into the reasons behind that: there's been prolonged, exclusive breastfeeding on the one hand, promoted by the WHO, and then there's all sorts of food phobias that I think are a major contributor".

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "are being prolonged" to describe situations where the duration of something is extended, especially when influenced by external factors or actions.

Common error

Avoid using "are being prolonged" when an active voice construction is more direct and clear. For instance, instead of saying "The company is being prolonged the meeting", say "The company is prolonging the meeting."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "are being prolonged" functions as a passive verb phrase, indicating that something is having its duration extended. As Ludwig AI confirms, this phrase is grammatically correct and commonly used.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "are being prolonged" is a grammatically sound passive verb phrase used to describe the extension of something's duration. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and provides varied examples. It appears most frequently in news and scientific contexts with a neutral register. While alternatives like "are being extended" and "are being lengthened" exist, the best choice depends on the nuance you wish to convey. When writing, ensure to use it in passive contexts and avoid it in active construction.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

are being extended

Focuses on the act of lengthening the duration.

are being lengthened

Highlights the increase in length or duration.

are being protracted

Emphasizes the slowness and tediousness of the extension.

are being continued

Highlights the uninterrupted nature of the duration.

are being drawn out

Implies that something is unnecessarily extended.

are being sustained

Emphasizes the maintenance of something over a period.

are being perpetuated

Focuses on the continuation of something, often negative.

are being stretched out

Suggests that the duration is being made longer than necessary.

are being elongated

Implies making something longer.

are being spun out

Indicates a deliberate and often deceptive lengthening of time.

FAQs

What does "are being prolonged" mean?

The phrase "are being prolonged" indicates that something is having its duration or length extended, typically by external forces or circumstances. For instance, "The negotiations "are being prolonged" due to disagreements" suggests that the negotiations are taking longer than initially expected.

How can I use "are being prolonged" in a sentence?

Use "are being prolonged" to describe a situation where something's duration is being extended. Example: "Patients' lives "are being prolonged" thanks to advancements in medical technology."

What are some alternatives to "are being prolonged"?

Alternatives include "are being extended", "are being lengthened", or "are being protracted". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to use "are being prolonged" or "are prolonged"?

"Are being prolonged" implies an ongoing process of extension, while "are prolonged" suggests a state of being lengthy. For example, "The delays "are being prolonged" by the weather" (active extension) versus "The delays are prolonged" (the delays are lengthy).