be been

USAGE SUMMARY

'be been' is not a correct or usable sentence in written English.
It is not a sentence at all. To use 'been' correctly in a sentence, it must be used as a verb or as the past participle of the verb 'to be'. For example, "I have been to London twice this year."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Has be been sidelined?

The Economist

That is, he felt scabbing would have be been impolite.

The Guardian

SB And indeed the world seems to be been jolted awake to this shocking situation.

The Guardian

The child's nightmare may be been caused by medicine, the police said.

The New York Times

His general attitude toward the prosecutors seemed to be "Been there, done that".

The New York Times

President Suleyman Demirel said military commanders had assured him that all weapons in Batman could be been accounted for.

The New York Times

This has be been the first time since the war that all who wanted to buy cars could buy them.

The New Yorker

He might have different feelings had be been a buyer, rather than a seller, when DEI went public.

The New York Times

We are absolutely overwhelmed that he's won the public vote to be been named PDSA Pet Survivor 2015".

Independent

QUESTION: Why haven't the UC Powers That Be been preventing this hellacioius amount of waste all along instead of perpetuating 10 independent Ivory Tower feifdoms?

University of California, Berkeley

What most people seem to forget it that alternative therapies have been around for many thousands of years and be been proved to be affective.

Harvard University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use correct verb tenses and forms. "Be been" is grammatically incorrect. Use "have been", "has been", or "had been" depending on the intended meaning and context.

Common error

Avoid combining auxiliary verbs incorrectly. "Be been" arises from a misunderstanding of how to form perfect tenses. Instead, ensure you use the correct auxiliary verb with the past participle, such as 'have', 'has', or 'had'.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "be been" is an incorrect verb construction. It violates standard English grammar rules. Ludwig AI identifies it as an error, advising against its use. Proper verb tenses should be used instead of this ungrammatical form.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

36%

Science

30%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

7%

Wiki

7%

Unknown

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "be been" is identified by Ludwig AI as grammatically incorrect. While examples of its use appear across various sources, including News & Media and academic texts, this does not legitimize its usage. It's crucial to use correct verb tenses, such as "have been", "has been", or "had been", depending on the intended context. Avoiding this error enhances clarity and credibility in writing and speech. Always double-check verb forms to ensure grammatical accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

have been

Corrects the verb tense to present perfect, indicating an action completed at an unspecified time in the past.

has been

Corrects the verb tense to present perfect for singular subjects, indicating an action completed at an unspecified time in the past.

had been

Uses the past perfect tense, showing that an action was completed before another point in the past.

will be

Employs the future tense, indicating an action that will occur in the future.

is being

Uses the present continuous passive, showing an action in progress.

was being

Uses the past continuous passive, showing an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past.

to be

Uses the infinitive form, expressing a general action or state.

being

Functions as a gerund or present participle, often used after prepositions or as part of a continuous tense.

are

Corrects to the present tense for plural subjects.

were

Corrects to the past tense for plural subjects.

FAQs

Why is "be been" grammatically incorrect?

The construction "be been" is incorrect because "been" is the past participle of "be" and requires an auxiliary verb like "have", "has", or "had" to form a proper tense. For example, the correct form would be "have been".

When should I use "have been" instead of "be been"?

Use "have been" to form the present perfect tense, indicating an action completed at some point in the past. For example, "I have been to Paris twice."

What are some alternatives to "be been" for expressing a past action?

Alternatives to "be been" depend on the intended tense. Consider using "has been" (present perfect singular), "had been" (past perfect), or simply "was" or "were" (simple past) for past actions.

How can I avoid making the mistake of using "be been"?

To avoid using "be been", double-check your verb tenses and ensure you include the necessary auxiliary verbs (have, has, had) when forming perfect tenses. Remember that "been" is a past participle and always needs an auxiliary verb.