OBS. 6.—­It may be replied, that the verbs to be and to exist are not always synonymous; because the former is often a mere auxiliary, or a mere copula, whereas the latter always means something positive, as to be in being, to be extant.  Thus we may speak of a thing as being destroyed, or may say, it is annihilated; but we can by no means speak of it as existing destroyed, or say, it exists annihilated.  The first argument above is also nugatory.  These drawbacks, however, do not wholly destroy the force of the foregoing criticism, or at all extenuate the obvious tautology and impropriety of such phrases as, is being, was being, &c.  The gentlemen who affirm that this new form of conjugation “is being introduced into the language,” (since they allow participles to follow possessive pronouns) may very fairly be asked, “What evidence have you of its being being introduced?” Nor can they, on their own principles, either object to the monstrous phraseology of this question, or tell how to better it![268]

OBS. 7.—­D.  H. Sanborn, an other recent writer, has very emphatically censured this innovation, as follows:  “English and American writers have of late introduced a new kind of phraseology, which has become quite prevalent in the periodical and popular publications of the day.  Their intention, doubtless, is, to supersede the use of the verb in the definite form, when it has a passive signification.  They say, ’The ship is being built,’—­’time is being wasted,”—­’the work is being advanced,’ instead of, ‘the ship is building, time is wasting, the work is advancing.’  Such a phraseology is a solecism too palpable to receive any favor; it is at war with the practice of the most distinguished writers in the English language, such as Dr. Johnson and Addison.  “When an individual says, ’a house is being burned,’ he declares that a house is existing, burned, which is impossible; for being means existing, and burned, consumed by fire.  The house ceases to exist as such, after it is consumed by fire.  But when he says, ‘a house is burning,’ we understand that it is consuming by fire; instead of inaccuracy, doubt, and ambiguity, we have a form of expression perfectly intelligible, beautiful, definite, and appropriate.”—­Sanborn’s Analytical Gram., p. 102.

OBS. 8.—­Dr. Perley speaks of this usage thus:  “An attempt has been made of late to introduce a kind of passive participial voice; as, ’The temple is being built.’  This ought not to be encouraged.  For, besides being an innovation, it is less convenient than the use of the present participle in the passive sense. Being built signifies action finished; and how can, Is being built, signify an action unfinished?”—­Perley’s Gram., p. 37.